Department for Transport

Shipping

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase the supply of UK (a) domiciled and (b) trained seafarers to the shipping industry.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department provides support for seafarer training through the Support for Maritime Training (SMarT) scheme, the budget for which was increased by 25% to £15million in September 2013. A company or group which elects for the Tonnage Tax is required, each year, to recruit one new officer trainee for every fifteen officer posts in its fleet. We have additionally introduced an option, from 1 October 2015, which allows companies or groups in Tonnage Tax to recruit and train three Able Seafarer ratings each year in place of one trainee officer.The industry and the Government are working together to encourage and support the next generation of seafarers and are developing a range of apprenticeships for maritime occupations at sea and ashore. We support the work of the Merchant Navy Training Board and SeaVision in promoting maritime careers, and we collaborated with Maritime UK in the production of an “Open for Maritime Skills” pamphlet. However, the recruitment and training of merchant seafarers is principally a matter for the shipping industry itself.The Maritime Growth Study, chaired by Lord Mountevans, was published on 7 September 2015 and contained a number of recommendations for government and industry on skills, including to help maintain the UK’s future supply of seafarers. The Government will formally respond to the Study by the end of the year.

Shipping

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what meetings he has planned over the next six months with maritime training colleges to discuss the recommendations of the Maritime Growth Study.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government engages regularly with representative bodies responsible for maritime training. These training representatives, including some maritime training colleges, contributed to the evidence gathering process that informed the Maritime Growth Study. As several recommendations from the Study focus on maritime training provision we intend to keep relevant training bodies fully informed and involved as we begin to take these forward.

Pippins School

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the National Atmospheric Emission Inventory results for the nitrogen dioxide levels at Pippins Primary School, Colnbrook, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the health of pupils and staff at that school of the proposals by the Davies Commission to expand Heathrow Airport.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government is currently considering the very detailed analysis contained in the Airports Commission’s final report.Any decision regarding future airport capacity will take into account the Government’s overall plan to improve air quality and its commitment to comply with EU air quality standards.

Network Rail: Staff

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff are employed by Network Rail to deal with contractual interface issues.

Claire Perry: Network Rail has 68 positions based across its eight routes with various responsibilities for managing commercial and regulated relationships with industry customers (the various operators). These roles are important in ensuring effective partnerships between Network Rail and the wider industry in order to meet the needs of passengers.

Railways: Dawlish

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much it cost to reconstruct the railway at Dawlish; and from which budget that cost was met.

Claire Perry: £35m was spent repairing the most damaged section of the track and sea wall and associated works during the initial 56-day work period at Dawlish. Work to raise the walkway is additional and has an anticipated final cost of £15.3m. Funding came in two phases: Phase 1 emergency work was funded primarily from insurance with the Network Rail structures renewals budget paying the excess of £2m. Phase 2 (raising the walkway) will be funded through Network Rail’s Control Period 5 (2019-24) structure renewals budget.

Air Passenger Duty

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what meetings he has had with airlines in which the administration charges for customers claiming back Air Passenger Duty were discussed; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I regularly meet with airlines to discuss a range of issues. The administration charges related to the refund of Air Passenger Duty has been raised previously. Many airlines do offer a refund of flight taxes including Air Passenger Duty, although some charge an administration fee for processing the refund.

Shipping: Trade Unions

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what meetings he has planned over the next six months with maritime trades unions on the recommendations of his Department's Maritime Growth Study published in September 2015.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government regularly meets with unions on maritime matters. They were fully engaged in the Maritime Growth Study, contributing through interview, workshops and written submissions to the evidence gathering process that informed the Study. Representatives of the unions also attended the publication event for the Study report on 7 September. We will continue to engage with unions and keep them fully informed and involved as we take forward any recommendations.

Network Rail

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many lawyers are employed by Network Rail to work on delay attribution issues with the staff of train operating companies.

Claire Perry: Network Rail have no lawyers employed to deal with this topic, they may become involved in larger and more contentious delay attribution disputes but time commitment will vary significantly.

Network Rail: Staff

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff are employed by Network Rail to deal with delay attribution issues with train operating staff.

Claire Perry: 167 staff at Network Rail have responsibilities in train delay attribution, representing around 0.5% of Network Rail’s total staff. This number of staff dealing with train delay attribution has remained fairly constant over recent years. Network Rail is a company of c. 35,000 staff operating a network that transports 1.66bn passengers a year, and being able to accurately measure how its work impacts on train performance is essential to maintaining and improving a high standard of service.

Network Rail

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many lawyers are employed by Network Rail to deal with contractual interface issues.

Claire Perry: Network Rail has 26 lawyers in the company. None are employed full time to deal specifically with these types of contractual interface issues. Those in the Routes Legal Team (c 12 lawyers) will spend a percentage of their time on these issues and to a lesser extent those in the Corporate Legal Team (c 3 lawyers).Input from the team will vary considerably depending on the nature and size of the issue that has arisen.

Network Rail

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what consultants have been used to advise the Government on the future structure of Network Rail; and what the cost to the public purse has been of engaging such consultants.

Claire Perry: Since Network Rail’s reclassification to the public sector in 2014, the Department has engaged EY (previously known as Ernst & Young) to support the development of policy on the future of rail infrastructure management. The final cost of this work was £750k.

Shipping

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total cost was of his Department's Maritime Growth Study, published in September 2015; how many hours staff in his Department worked on that study; and when he plans to respond to its recommendations.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Maritime Growth Study was commissioned by Government, but led on an entirely voluntary basis by an industry chair, Lord Mountevans, who was supported by a secretariat of five full-time officials from my Department. The Study was officially launched in November 2014 and published in September 2015. The total cost of the Study was approximately £390K, the majority of these costs being internal staffing costs for the secretariat. Other officials and analysts contributed their expertise as and when required on a business as usual basis.The Government will respond formally to the report by the end of 2015, but is taking immediate action in response to specific recommendations. This includes the establishment of a Ministerial Working Group for Maritime Growth and taking steps to support the improved operation of the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) such as appointing a commercial director to lead the UK Ship Register separately from the Agency’s regulatory functions and a business case exploring the costs and benefits of options for more significant reform of the MCA.

Railways

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2015 to Question 11431, which key senior stakeholders have been represented at the Bowe Review - Senior Liaison Board on each of the dates referred to in that Answer.

Claire Perry: On 24th March, 20th May, 24th June senior stakeholders from Rail Executive, Department for Transport; the Office of Rail and Road; Network Rail; HM Treasury; Cabinet Office and the Major Projects Authority were represented at the Bowe Review – Senior Liaison Board.

Cycling

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2015 to Question 11472, what (a) his Department's expenditure per head and (b) total expenditure from the public purse on cycling in each English region was in each year from 2011-12 to 2014-15; and what expenditure per head on cycling (i) by his Department and (ii) from the public purse is projected to be in each English region in 2015-16.

Mr Robert Goodwill: In the five years 2011/12 to 2015/16, the Department for Transport (DfT) has increased its spend on cycling in England from £1 per head to £3 per head. Local authorities also spend significant amounts on cycling and over the same period, total spend on cycling in England has increased from £2 per head to £6 per head. Spend is over £10 per head in the eight Cycle Ambition Cities and London.2011/122012/132013/142014/152015/16DfT spend per head£1£2£2£2£3Total spend per head£2£4£5£5£6The DfT budgets are:DfT budgets:2011-122012-132013-142014-15Projected spend 2015-16Cycle-Rail£7.0£7.5£14.0Bikeability£11.7£11.7£11.7£11.7£11.7Junction safety£30.0£5.0Linking Communities£13.0£8.0£7.5Cycling Ambition - Cities/National Parks£46.6£46.6£15.0Highways Agency£4.8£16.7LSTF- Cycling£37.8£37.8£37.8£37.8£64.5LGF£20.2Total DfT£62.5£94.5£120.9£96.1£142.1In 2014-15, the Department’s dedicated cycling programmes were Bikeability, Cycle Ambition Cities, Cycling in National Parks and the Highways Agency’s cycling programme. The Department also funds cycling programmes through the Local Sustainable Transport Fund, with 28% of the LSTF being spent on cycling. The Department secures a range of match funding contributions from local authorities for these programmes: the LSTF secured 99% match funding.Lists of projects and locations are available for the following programmes:Cycle-rail:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cycle-rail-fund-schemes-2015-to-2016Linking Communities:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/linking-places-fundhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/linking-places-fund-tranche-2Local Sustainable Transport Fund:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-sustainable-transport-fundhttps://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/224172/project-summaries-consolidated.pdfCycle Ambition Cities and Cycling in National Parks:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cycle-city-ambition-grantshttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cycling-in-national-parks-grantsBikeability:http://bikeability.org.uk/publications/

Public Transport: South Yorkshire

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Sheffield to Rotherham tram-train trial will start.

Claire Perry: The current programme shows the start of passenger services between Rotherham Parkgate and Sheffield city centre in early 2017.The very nature of the trial means that we are pushing on the envelope of known standards and interfaces between heavy and light rail systems and some technological issues have been significant. However, a key objective of the project is to provide a template for future schemes in other cities that will then allow much quicker and cost effective implementation of a system where the lower cost of operating tram trains on heavy rail routes will deliver long term reductions in opex and capex along the lines of Sir Roy McNulty’s findings.

Airports Commission: Public Appointments

Dr Tania Mathias: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department made of Sir Howard Davies's potential business links to Heathrow Airport; and what other due diligence it conducted before appointing him as chair of the Airports Commission.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Sir Howard Davies was required to complete and sign a register of interest disclosure form stating any potential conflict with his work in leading the independent Airports Commission. Registers of all the Commissioners’ interests are available on the Airports Commission’s website at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/airports-commissioners-conflicts-of-interest-disclosure.

Crossrail Line

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the case for and feasibility of an additional station on Crossrail at London City Airport.

Claire Perry: No formal assessment of the case for an additional Crossrail station at London City Airport has been undertaken by the Department.Any proposal to add a further station to Crossrail would require a strong business case, and remains unfunded.

Channel Tunnel: Calais

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what compensation the Government has made available to road and rail freight and passenger operators affected by the ongoing disruption at Calais.

Andrew Jones: We are clear that the disruption caused to passengers and operators by the disruption in Calais is unacceptable.That is why we are working hard to find a long-term solution to Operation Stack, and closely with the French Government to minimise the causes of disruption.There are no specific provisions for compensation by Her Majesty’s Government in the circumstances where disruption does occur.

Cycling

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on which dates (a) the full Cycling Shareholder Forum, (b) the safety sub-group of the Cycling Stakeholder Forum and (c) the High Level Cycling Group have held meetings in the last 12 months.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The last Cycling Stakeholder forum meeting was on 24th June 2014, and the last safety-sub group meeting was held on 13 July 2013.The High Level Cycling Group has met within the last 12 months. The most recent meeting was on 13 July 2015. Previous meetings were held on 8 September 2014 and 30 April 2014.We are in the process of reviewing our arrangements for stakeholder engagement, as part of the work we are doing to form the governance structure for the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Public Expenditure

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the schedule of comparable programme objects in his Department's publication, Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly: Statement of Funding Policy, published in October 2010, what projects were funded by the revenue support grants; and what the total capital cost was of each of those projects.

Mr Marcus Jones: Local authorities are free to use Revenue Support Grant as they see fit in support of their statutory functions. Whilst the Department collects information on revenue and capital spending by local authorities, it does not ask authorities for information on the particular use to which they put Revenue Support Grant, or any of the other revenue sources available to them.

Families: Disadvantaged

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities in phase two of the Troubled Families programme have made tackling (a) child sexual exploitation and (b) sexual abuse an outcome in their Troubled Families Outcome Plan.

Greg Clark: Troubled Families Outcomes Plans are locally designed and owned documents that state how each local authority will demonstrate significant and sustained progress against the whole range of complex problems that a family on the programme may have. We have no current detailed analysis of child sexual exploitation and abuse within all Outcome Plans, but the programme is designed to be flexible so that all local authorities can bring in families where they believe child sexual exploitation or sexual abuse is an issue, and they believe the family would benefit from being included on the programme.

Occupied Territories

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what (a) advice and (b) guidance his Department gives on the risks of (i) investment in and (ii) business with Israeli settlements in Occupied Palestinian territory.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department for Communties and Local Government does not provide advice or guidance on the risks of investment and business with Israeli settlements in Occupied Palestinian territory.Advice and guidance on business risk is provided via the online Overseas Business Risks guides. These are a joint UK Trade & Investment and Foreign and Commonwealth Office resource and provide information for businesses on the potential risks of trading in specific countries. Guides cover political and economic risks, human rights issues, bribery, terrorism, criminal activity, and intellectual property. The information for the Occupied Palestinian Territories can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/overseas-business-risk-palestinian-territories

Archaeology

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of reductions in central government revenue support to local government since 2010 on the management of the historic environment through the planning process.

Brandon Lewis: Local authorities are independent from Central Government and are responsible for managing their budgets in line with local priorities. Since 2010 there has been a slight increase in the number of listed building consent decisions issued and slight increase in the proportion of those that were granted consent.

Right to Buy Scheme

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to revise the agreement reached with the National Housing Federation on right to buy to clarify that it does not cover almshouse residents.

Brandon Lewis: Almshouses are exempt from the Right to Buy for council housing. This long-standing exemption will also apply to the extended Right to Buy for housing associations.

Care Homes: Service Charges

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to prevent price-fixing in service charges by providers of retirement homes.

Brandon Lewis: The law provides a framework of rights and protections for residential leaseholders where service charges and the management of their property are concerned.These rights allow leaseholders to hold their freeholder and managing agent to account. They include the right to be consulted about proposed major works and long term agreements, to challenge the reasonableness of service charge demands at an independent tribunal, to seek the appointment of a new manager and, in some cases. to take over the management of the block of flats where they live.Price-fixing is a serious matter and any evidence of this should be reported to the Competition and Markets Authority for consideration.

Housing Associations

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will review the regulation of service charges to ensure that housing associations are not exploiting residents.

Brandon Lewis: Service charges are subject to legal requirements that limit these to covering the cost of providing the services. The Social Housing Regulator requires that providers give clear information to tenants about how their service charges are set. If tenants feel their service charges are too high they may make a complaint through their landlord’s formal complaints procedure.

Wind Power: Dorset

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the estimated cost to the public purse is of the examination into the planning consent application for the Navitus Bay Wind Park under the Planning Act 2008.

James Wharton: The net cost to the Planning Inspectorate and the fees paid by Navitus Bay Development Ltd for examining the Navitus Bay Wind Park application is estimated to be £430,000.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Georgia: Freedom of Expression

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Georgian countertpart on freedom of expression and freedom of the media in that country.

Mr David Lidington: We raise human rights concerns with Georgian Ministers and officials, including freedom of expression and freedom of the media, at every appropriate opportunity.We are closely monitoring the recent and ongoing court case involving the Rustavi 2 television company and continue to encourage Georgia to abide by the rule of law and due process in relation to all legal cases. We also impress the importance of creating a positive environment for media and civil society organisations working in Georgia.

Saudi Arabia: UN Human Rights Council

Tom Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of Faisal bin Hassan Trad's appointment as Chair of a panel of independent experts on the UN Human Rights Council.

Mr David Lidington: The Ambassador of Saudi Arabia has served on the United Nations Consultative Group since 1 January 2015. His appointment as Chair was an internal decision made by the United Nations Consultative Group, which is a subordinate body of the Human Rights Council. The group is currently made up of five ambassadors, serving in their personal capacity, from each of the five regional groups in the UN. The UK’s Ambassador to the UN in Geneva is not part of this Consultative Group and the appointment was not a decision of the Human Rights Council. It is standard procedure for the chairmanship of the Group to rotate during the course of the year.

Oil: Falkland Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent progress has been made on extracting potential oil reserves near the Falklands; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire: A number of international oil and gas companies are involved in the current exploration around Falkland Islands waters which is expected to continue into 2016. The results of exploration will be announced at the appropiate time by the companies concerned.

Syria: Armed Conflict

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he plans to take to deter Russian forces from targeting non-IS targets in Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We continue to urge Russia, both in public and through diplomatic channels, to focus its efforts on ISIL targets. The EU Foreign Affairs Council on 12 October also called on Russia immediately to cease targeting the moderate opposition.

Syria: Armed Conflict

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his US counterparts on the targeting of non-IS targets by Russian forces in Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Philip Hammond) discussed Russia’s military build-up in Syria with Secretary of State John Kerry at the UN General Assembly last month. Government ministers and officials discuss Syria with their American counterparts on a regular basis, and have shared concerns over Russia’s strikes on non-ISIL targets in Syria. The UK and US, together with France, Germany, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, issued a statement on 2 October expressing concern about Russian strikes in Syria, calling on Russia to stop attacking the Syrian opposition and civilians, and to focus on fighting ISIL.

Islamic State: Cultural Heritage

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to prevent ISIL from destroying valuable historical sites in Palmyra and elsewhere.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK strongly condemns ISIL’s wanton destruction of cultural heritage in Syria and Iraq, including in Palmyra. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office helped secure UN Security Council Resolution 2199 which obliges all UN Member States to prevent the trade in Iraqi and Syrian cultural property that has been illegally removed from those countries.But strong words and legal frameworks are not enough. As a key player in the Global Counter ISIL Coalition, the UK is committed to degrading and defeating ISIL, including through military action. By checking ISIL’s advance, the Coalition’s air campaign and support for partner military forces in Iraq and Syria has had the effect of protecting key historical sites in both countries. However, there is inevitably a limit to what we can do. The only way of safeguarding all historic sites from ISIL is by defeating them politically and militarily. That requires continued effort by the Global Coalition, as well as a more inclusive political settlement in Iraq, and an end to the conflict in Syria.On 28 October I will be co-hosting a summit with the Secretary of State for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Bromsgrove (Mr Javid) on Cultural Heritage Protection.

Libya: Politics and Government

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of progress on the (a) establishment of a national unity government in Libya and (b) ending of political instability in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: On 8 October the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Bernardino León, announced details of the proposed final political settlement in Libya. This included: names for the Prime Minister and five others members of the Presidential Council, the final text of the Political Agreements, and twelve other names proposed for ministerial positions.We are working closely with international partners to encourage the Libyan parties to endorse the proposal. UNSMIL hope to achieve formal signature before 20 October.We are working tirelessly in support of UN efforts to establish a Government of National Accord in Libya. Negotiations remain difficult. But only an inclusive government will deliver the peace and stability that the Libyan people desire and deny the space for ISIL and other extremist groups to operate.

Israel: Palestinians

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterparts on recent outbreaks of violence in Israel and Palestine.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are deeply concerned by the recent spate of attacks and clashes across the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel. Officials at our Embassy in Tel Aviv discuss the situation frequently with Israeli officials. Most recently, on 12 October, the UK Charge d'Affaires raised our concerns with Israel’s Deputy Defence Minister, making clear that it is imperative that both sides actively de-escalate the tensions.

Afghanistan: Armed Conflict

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the attack on UK military vehicles in Kabul on 11 October 2015.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The attack on a NATO convoy on 11 October is a reminder of the threat under which our troops in Afghanistan continue to work, in partnership with the Afghan Government and others in the international community, to build and sustain a peaceful and democratic Afghanistan. We always seek to draw on knowledge and experience acquired as a result of such incidents. Our commitment as part of the NATO mission and in honour of those who have given so much in this endeavour is unwavering.

Afghanistan: Armed Conflict

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policy of recent military defeats by Afghan forces; and what discussions he has had with his Afghan counterparts on the insurgency at Kunduz.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We enjoy a close security dialogue with the National Unity Government in Kabul. The Commander Joint Forces Command, the Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff and the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sevenoaks (Mr Fallon) have all visited Afghanistan recently to discuss the security situation with Afghan counterparts. When the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) assumed full responsibility for national security at the end of 2014, we and they understood that there would inevitably be testing times ahead. The ANDSF have responded well. The Taliban attack on the city of Kunduz was a setback for ANDSF, but government forces have regained control of the city. NATO will be working with the Afghan Government to identify lessons from this incident and the fighting season more broadly. NATO and the UK remain committed partners of the Afghan Government. The Taliban should accept President Ghani’s invitation now to end the fighting and join the peace process.

Jerusalem

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on the recent conflict at Temple Mount.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We have made representations to the Government of Israel stating that it is vital that the longstanding status quo in respect of access to Temple Mount/Haram al Sharif, and other historic sites, be preserved. In recent weeks, Her Majesty's Ambassador in Tel Aviv raised this with senior Israeli officials and the Israeli President. Our National Security Adviser also raised this with his Israeli counterpart. Most recently, on 12 October, the Charge d'Affaires at our Embassy in Israel raised this issue with Israel’s Deputy Defence Minister, requesting that restrictions on visitors be lifted.

Syria: Refugees

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he has taken to encourage other nations in the Levant and Arabian peninsula to accept refugees from Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We have been at the forefront of the humanitarian response to the crisis in Syria, having committed over £1.1bn, which includes funding for regional countries to assist arriving refugees.The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), recently visited Lebanon and Jordan, where he paid tribute to the efforts of these countries in hosting Syrian refugees. Syria’s neighbours have been incredibly generous in welcoming huge numbers of refugees. There are now over four million Syrian refugees in the region, including over one million who fled Syria in 2014 alone. Turkey hosts the highest number of refugees, at over 2 million, followed by Lebanon at over 1 million and Jordan at over 628,000. The UK has allocated £559 million to support refugees in the region and vulnerable host communities to date, including £304 million in Lebanon and £193 million in Jordan. The Gulf States continue to contribute generously to humanitarian support for the Syria crisis, and there are large numbers of Syrians already in the Gulf.

UN General Assembly

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what policy aims his Department achieved at the 69th session of the UN General Assembly.

Grant Shapps: As a cornerstone of the international rules-based system, the UN is a universally recognised platform for countries to reach agreement on the global issues that affect us all. The opening session of the UN General Assembly brings together political leaders from across the world in a way that sets the multilateral agenda for the year ahead. Since the opening of the General Assembly’s 69th session in September 2014, notable achievements in support of UK policy aims include: a new set of global development goals to help eradicate extreme poverty within the next 15 years; support for the Secretary General to develop a comprehensive Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism; a General Assembly resolution on the Arms Trade Treaty which maintained momentum towards the Treaty’s entry into force in 2014; strong human rights resolutions on Syria and the Democratic Peoples’ Republic of Korea; and $220m (£145m) in savings on peacekeeping mission costs.

UK Membership of EU

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress was made during the recent visit of German Chancellor Angela Merkel on negotiations on the UK's relationship with the EU.

Mr David Lidington: We are not able to give a running commentary on the discussions. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) is focussed on success. He believes he can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU and campaigning to keep the UK in the EU on that basis. I welcome Chancellor Merkel’s statement to the Bundestag on 15 October that “it goes without saying that we will work constructively with the British government” on this question, and that she was “convinced that we will be able to find an acceptable compromise”.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Accountancy

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's chart of account.

Mr David Lidington: From 1 April 2016 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will use the Government-wide Common Charter of Accounts, which is already in the public domain and can be found on www.gov.uk.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Subscriptions

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much his Department spent on each international subscription in each financial year from 2000-01 to 2014-15.

Mr David Lidington: This information is already publically available. Our spend on international subscriptions has been listed under ‘Programme’ in our Annual Report and Accounts each financial year from 2000-01 to 2014-15. Our Accounts since 2004-05 are available on www.gov.uk; Accounts for earlier years are available in hard copy in the Parliamentary Library and can also be accessed on the FCO pages at webarchives.nationalarchives.gov.uk.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Staff

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many (a) locally engaged and (b) UK-based staff worked in each overseas post in financial years (i) 2000-01, (ii) 2005-06, (iii) 2010-11 and (iv) 2014-15.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: It is not possible to provide a breakdown of UK based and Locally Engaged Staff prior to 2012/13.The Foreign and Commonwealth Office provided details of UK based staffing at posts in the Annual Accounts and Reports for 2014/2015. The latter can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/foreign-and-commonwealth-office-annual-report-and-accounts-2014-to-2015.The number of locally engaged staff by post for 2014-15 is shown below [attached file].



Number of LE staff by post for 2014-15
(Word Document, 26.37 KB)

Israel: Housing

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Israeli government on the planned demolition of the village of Umm al-Hiran.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Government is deeply concerned about the proposals to demolish Bedouin villages in Israel. I visited the Khan al Ahmer Bedouin during my visit in October 2014 and saw the devastating impact resettlement plans had on the communities. Officials at our Embassy in Tel Aviv are monitoring the situation of Umm al-Hiran closely. Embassy officials have also been in contact with the Adalah Legal Centre who continue to provide updates on the legal situation. They have also been in contact with organisations that work within the Bedouin community, such as Itach-Maaki and The Arab-Jewish Center for Equality, Empowerment and Cooperation-Negev Institute for Strategies of Peace and Development, to help inform the UK’s lobbying of the Israeli authorities on this issue. On 10 September, the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), raised their concerns about the Bedouin with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take a greater role in facilitating a two state solution in Israel.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: My priority remains the achievement of a two-state solution. I will continue to consult with international partners as to the best means to make greater progress, and to encourage the parties to take steps which lead us towards peace. I am extremely concerned by the violence that we have seen across Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories in recent weeks. This only strengthens my conviction that a negotiated two state solution is of the greatest urgency. We are encouraging both sides to maintain calm and avoid taking actions which could make peace more difficult. I have also been pushing both parties to take steps that improve the situation on the ground and preserve the viability of the two state solution.

Baltic States: Fossil Fuels

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his European counterparts on providing possible alternative oil and gas supply to the Baltic states.

Grant Shapps: I have not had bilateral discussions with European counterparts on providing possible alternative oil and gas supply to the Baltic states. The UK’s support to the Baltic states on diversification of their oil and gas supply takes place largely through the European Union. The UK continues to work closely with Brussels in pursuit of security of supply, and our efforts to improve EU energy security are carried out through the Energy Union Project. The UK appreciates the pressures that the Baltic states are under, and ending their island status in gas and oil is a key area of our work on gas supplies within the Energy Union. On the 15 October 2015, the European Commission signed a joint-declaration with the Baltic States on constructing the Gas Interconnector Poland – Lithuania (GIPL), aimed at providing a secure gas supply for the Baltic region and reducing reliance on Russian gas. Construction is intended to be completed in 2019.

Palestinians: Detainees

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many of the recommendations of the 2011 report on Palestinian children in military custody, funded by his Department, have been carried out.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Since the publication of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office funded independent report on Children in Military Custody in June 2012, there has been some progress on the issue of children held in military detention.Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv held roundtable meetings with Israeli officials, most recently on 19 May. These meetings confirmed that progress is being made including a pilot to use summons instead of night-time arrests, changes to standard operating procedures on methods of restraint, and steps to reduce the amount of time a child can be detained before seeing a judge. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv continue to push for further progress with Israeli officials.On 2 June, the Minister of State, my noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Anelay of St Johns met the Israeli Military Advocate General and the Israeli Ambassador to London where the issue of child detention was discussed. She made clear that while we welcome improvements, we continue to push for the full implementation of changes and to encourage further changes in practice.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Israeli and Palestinian authorities on measures to reduce hostilities.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are deeply concerned by the recent violence across the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel. We have had a number of discussions with both Israel and the Palestinian Authority over recent weeks. We have urged both sides to de-escalate the tensions. Most recently, on 15 October, the Charge d'Affaires at our Embassy in Israel raised our concerns with Israel’s Deputy National Security Adviser. He did likewise on 12 October, with Israel’s Deputy Defence Minister. On 9 October, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Runnymead and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) spoke to President Abbas about the violence, urging him to do everything in his power to reduce tensions and restore calm.

Palestinians: Detainees

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many of the recommendations of the report on children in military custody published by his Department in June 2012 have been implemented.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Since the publication of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office funded independent report on Children in Military Custody in June 2012, there has been some progress on the issue of children held in military detention.Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv held roundtable meetings with Israeli officials, most recently on 19 May. These meetings confirmed that progress is being made including a pilot to use summons instead of night-time arrests, changes to standard operating procedures on methods of restraint, and steps to reduce the amount of time a child can be detained before seeing a judge. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv continue to push for further progress with Israeli officials.On 2 June, the Minister of State, my noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Anelay of St Johns met the Israeli Military Advocate General and the Israeli Ambassador to London where the issue of child detention was discussed. She made clear that while we welcome improvements, we continue to push for the full implementation of changes and to encourage further changes in practice.

Israel

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Israeli government on the use of force by Israeli security personnel in response to protests.

Mr Philip Hammond: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Palestinian Authority on action to prevent terrorist attacks in Israel.

Mr Philip Hammond: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

China: Human Rights

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations his Department has made on human rights in China.

Mr Hugo Swire: We pay close attention to the human rights situation in China and outline a range of our concerns in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy.Bilaterally, we are one of only a few countries to maintain an annual human rights dialogue with China: the most recent dialogue was in Beijing in April. Ministers also consistently raise human rights issues. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) raised the matter of detained lawyers during his visit to China in August. I raised concerns over a proposed draft non-government organisation law with Ambassador Liu Xiaoming in June.We also make representations through international mechanisms. In a statement to the Human Rights Council on 21 September, the UK made clear that it remained concerned by reports of the detention of human rights lawyers since 9 July 2015, and urged the Chinese authorities to release these lawyers.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for the Israeli/Palestine peace process of Mahmoud Abbas's speech at the United Nations on 30 September 2015.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: President Abbas' speech at the 2015 UN General Assembly underlines the urgent need for progress towards a two state solution. We urge Israel and the Palestinian Authority to work together to meet their obligations under the Oslo Accords. We also encourage Israel and the Palestinian Authority to continue with their existing security cooperation. I was encouraged to hear that President Abbas reiterated his commitment to this cooperation when he spoke, on 9 October, to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymead and Weybridge (Mr Hammond).

COE Parliamentary Assembly

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will set out the record of attendance and participation in sessions of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and its committees by those hon. Members of the UK delegation who were appointed to the Parliamentary Assembly on 10 November 2010.

Mr David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

COE Parliamentary Assembly

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the work of the members of the UK delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe who were appointed on 10 November 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Leader of the House

Early Day Motions

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Leader of the House, if he will bring forward proposals to allow the online tabling and signing of Early Day Motions.

Chris Grayling: This issue was considered in the last Parliament by the House of Commons Procedure Committee in its first report of Session 2013-14 (HC189). The Committee considered whether to recommend the adoption of an e-tabling system, but concluded that it was not appropriate for EDMs to be tabled electronically unless significantly stronger authentication than was then required for parliamentary questions could be guaranteed. However, it did recognise that there might be benefits in allowing MPs to add their signatures to EDMs electronically.Following the closure of the savings programme, the House authorities continue to consider how they can improve effectiveness and drive innovation, including in the area of electronic delivery of services.I suggest that the Honourable Gentleman raises the issue with the Procedure Committee.

Committees: Arms Trade

Hilary Benn: To ask the Leader of the House, whether he has had discussions with the Chairs of the Business, Innovation and Skills, International Development, Foreign Affairs and Defence select committees on their re-establishment of the Committees on Arms Export Controls.

Chris Grayling: No. The re-establishment of the Committees on Arms Export Controls (CAEC) is a matter for the relevant committees under Standing Order No. 137, which allows for the concurrent meeting of any select committee with another for the purpose of deliberating or taking evidence.

Attorney General

Trials

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Attorney General, what estimate he has made of the savings to the public purse from early guilty pleas in the Crown Court in each year since 2010-11.

Robert Buckland: The Early Guilty Plea Scheme aims to reduce delays and unnecessary paper work and increases productivity for all Criminal Justice System partners.No data is collected on the total savings to the public purse by a defendant entering an early guilty plea.

Trials

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Attorney General, what the Crown Prosecution Service's success rate was in cases which have gone to trial in (a) Magistrates' Courts and (b) Crown Courts in each year between 2010-11 and 2014-15.

Robert Buckland: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the outcomes of prosecutions, on a defendant basis, at magistrates’ courts and at the Crown Court. Cases adjourned for trial, or contested proceedings, comprise convictions after trial and acquittals or dismissals after trial.The table below shows the proportion of contested proceedings resulting in a conviction after trial, at magistrates’ courts and at the Crown Court for each of the last five years.Conviction after Contest Rate(a) Magistrates' Court (b) Crown Court 2010-201165.0%56.7%2011-201266.3%59.7%2012-201364.4%60.1%2013-201462.8%60.4%2014-201561.0%56.9%Data Source: CPS Management Information SystemThe figures in the table above are inclusive of cases where a defendant has entered mixed guilty and not guilty pleas. These pleas are not acceptable to the Crown and the case proceeds to trial.

Trials

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Attorney General, what the (a) prosecution cost per defendant, (b) overall spend per completed case and (c) overall spend per full-time equivalent staff member in (i) the Crown Court and (ii) magistrates' courts was in each year since 2010-11.

Robert Buckland: (a) The prosecution cost per defendant since 2010-11 is as follows:2010-11£4222011-12£4202012-13£4522013-14£4612014-15£496(b) The overall spend per completed case for each year since 2010-11 is as follows:-2010-11£4772011-12£4702012-13£5032013-14£5112014-15£550(c) The overall spend per full-time equivalent staff member in (i) the Crown Court and (ii) magistrates' courts was, in 2014-15:(i) Crown Court £96,532(ii) Magistrates Court £58,924It is important to note that these are not staff costs but represent the full cost of prosecuting cases in the Magistrates and Crown Courts. These costs include administrative overheads.Prior to 2014-15 the CPS did not distinguish staff expenditure between Magistrates’ and Crown Court cases, so we are unable to apportion spend to full-time equivalents by these categories.

Crown Prosecution Service

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Attorney General, how many wasted cost orders were made (a) in favour and (b) against the Crown Prosecution Service in each year since 2010-11; and for what reasons such wasted cost orders were made against the Crown Prosecution Service.

Robert Buckland: The Crown Prosecution Servicedoes not maintain a central record of the number of wasted cost orders made in favour of, or against, the prosecution. To obtain this information would require a manual file examination incurring a disproportionate cost.

Crown Prosecution Service: Staff

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Attorney General, how many (a) prosecutors, (b) associate prosecutors, (c) caseworkers and (d) administrators were employed by the Crown Prosecution Service in each year since 2010-11; and what proportion of each such category were engaged in frontline services.

Robert Buckland: The number of (a) prosecutors, (b) associate prosecutors, (c) caseworkers and (d) administrators that were employed by the Crown Prosecution Service in each year since 2010-11, can be found in the table below along with the proportion of each that were engaged in frontline services.ProsecutorsAssociateCaseworkersProsecutors& Administrators2010-11FTE26684114089% FrontLine98.7%100.0%91.4%2011-12FTE25834054143% FrontLine99.0%100%91.1%2012-13FTE23513624130% FrontLine97.6%100.0%91.2%2013-14FTE22263023710% FrontLine97.3%100.0%90.2%2014-15FTE22322523333% FrontLine97.5%100.0%90.0%Notes: Data may differ from other published data due to differing specifications

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Overseas Companies Regulations 2009

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 10 September 2015 to Question 8192, how many public complaints were made about failures to comply with the Overseas Companies Regulations 2009 in each year since they came in to force.

Anna Soubry: Companies House received the following number of complaints about the possible failure to register the opening of a UK establishment of an overseas company, which is a breach of the Overseas Regulations 2009, for each year since 2010. Companies House will act upon the receipt of a public complaint about a possible failure to comply with the Overseas Companies Regulations 2009 ("the Regulations"). It will carry out an initial investigation and then, if it considers that an offence may have been committed, it will refer the case to BIS solicitors to consider whether a prosecution is justified under the Code for Crown Prosecutors. The principal aim is to achieve compliance with the Regulations; therefore, prosecution action is considered a last resort.YearNumber of Complaints2010 (from 1 October2201142012142013362014262015 (to date)8

UK Trade and Investment: Expenditure

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of expenditure on UK Trade and Investment on the level of foreign direct investment in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency between 2010 and 2015.

Anna Soubry: During the 2010/11-2014/15 period, UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) recorded 8160 successful Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) projects won in the UK; of which 284 investments were in Scotland.UKTI and its regional/local partners were involved in supporting 6415 of the total number of UK investments.Breaking down the Scottish successes further, 5 landed in Kilmarnock and Loudoun.UKTI works as one team with Scottish Government and all other regional and local partners, to promote and support inward investment into all parts of the UK.

Students: Greater Manchester

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of how many students (a) from Manchester, Withington constituency and (b) studying at Manchester University and Manchester Metropolitan University will be affected by the removal of maintenance loans.

Joseph Johnson: Statistics on English domiciled applicants awarded Maintenance Grants for study at UK providers are published annually by the Student Loans Company (SLC) in the Statistical First Release ‘Student Support for Higher Education in England’.http://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/financial-support-awarded/england-higher-education.aspxThe best available indication of the number of students likely to be affected is the actual number of grant recipients in 2013/14.The number of Maintenance Grants awarded to English domiciled applicants from (a) Manchester, Withington constituency and (b) studying at Manchester University and Manchester Metropolitan University in the academic year 2013/14 has been provided in the table.Maintenance Grants(1) awarded(2) to English applicantsAcademic year 2013/14Number of awarded applicants (3)Constituency(4)Manchester, Withington1,400Higher Education ProviderManchester Metropolitan University14,090University of Manchester7,300Source: Student Loans Company(1) Figures include Special Support Grants(2) Awards do not necessarily translate into payments. An awarded applicant will only receive payments once SLC have received confirmation from the student’s provider that the student has been registered on the course.(3) Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. Totals may not add to the sum of the components due to rounding.(4) Constituency is derived from the home address of the student as stated on application for student finance.

Adult Education: Sheffield

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether primary legislation is required to implement the proposals on the adult skills budget in the Sheffield City Region Devolution Agreement, announced on 2 October 2015.

Nick Boles: One of the conditions for full devolution of adult skills funding in relation to the Sheffield City Region is that Parliament has legislated to enable transfer of the current statutory duties on my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills to secure appropriate facilities for further education for adults from the relevant budget and for provision to be free in certain circumstances. Primary legislation would be needed for that purpose.

Personal Income

Phil Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the implications for his Department's policies are of the finding of the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission that children from advantaged social class backgrounds are four times more likely to be in a high hourly income group in adulthood than children from disadvantaged social class backgrounds.

Nick Boles: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 October 2015 to Question UIN 11065.

Construction: Finance

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the total amount lost by small firms in the construction sector because of bankruptcies among firms holding cash retentions in each of the last five years.

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of cash retentions on the viability of small businesses in the construction sector; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make it his policy to ensure that cash retentions in the construction industry are placed in trust to safeguard them against possible bankruptcy; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Boles: The Government does not collect data on the different types of unsecured debts and the creditors to whom they are owed across the full range of formal insolvency procedures.The Government acknowledges that some people are unhappy with the system of retentions as it stands, but it is an embedded feature of the construction industry.Therefore, our general approach is towork with the industry through the Construction Leadership Council and its supply chain payment charter; endorsing its commitment to zero retentions by 2025. Achieving this commitment will involve far-reaching changes to the way the sector works.It is not clear that requiring money to be placed in trust funds is the best way to overcome any shortcomings in the system of retentions: it would impose a financial burden on construction clients, many of whom are themselves small businesses, and where there is financial weakness, may itself make insolvency more likely. The Government is commissioning research on the costs and benefits of the retention system and alternatives, including the use of trust funds. This will inform future action.

Overseas Students

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he plans to take to increase the number of gifted overseas students studying in the UK.

Joseph Johnson: The UK welcomes the brightest and best international students and there is no cap on the number that can study here. The Government promotes study in the UK through the Britain is GREAT marketing campaign which has an education pillar and through the Education UK brand and website, which is managed by the British Council. Together these measures promote UK education in over 100 countries, connecting millions of people with the United Kingdom.The Government also has major education agreements with overseas partners. Key programmes include the UK-China Partners in Education Programme, the UK-India Education Research Initiative and engagement in Brazil’s ‘Science without Borders’ scholarship scheme.The Government also supports student exchange, such as through the Erasmus Scheme, which enables international students to take short placements in the UK and British students to gain valuable overseas experience.

Groceries Code Adjudicator

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Groceries Code Adjudicator in assisting farmers who have been unfairly treated by large retailers.

Anna Soubry: The Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) regulates the relationships between the ten largest supermarkets and their direct suppliers only. The Groceries Code Adjudicator Act 2013 requires the Secretary of State to conduct and consult on a review every three years into the operational effectiveness of the GCA. The first of these reviews will cover the period from the establishment of the GCA in June 2013 to March 2016.The Act requires that the review must, in particular:Consider how much the GCA’s powers have been exercised; andAssess how effective the GCA has been in enforcing the Groceries Supply Code of Practice.

Small Businesses: Living Wage

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he plans to take to ensure that the introduction of the National Living Wage does not have a detrimental effect on small businesses.

Nick Boles: The Government is reducing Corporation Tax to 19% from 2017-18 and then to 18% from 2020-21; setting the Annual Investment Allowance at a new permanent level of £200,000; and increasing the Employment Allowance by £1,000 to £3,000 from 2016-17. The increase in the employment allowance means a business could employ four people on the National Living Wage and pay no National Insurance Contributions.

Department for International Development

Occupied Territories

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UN assesses that the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) is a protracted crisis with humanitarian consequences, driven by insufficient respect for international law by all sides. According to the UN, Palestinians in the OPTs face a range of serious threats including threats to life, liberty and security, destruction or damage to homes and other property, forced displacement, restrictions on freedom of movement and access to livelihoods, and lack of accountability and effective remedy. We are particularly concerned by the recent violent clashes across the OPTs and Israel, which underline the need for a just and lasting political settlement that ends the occupation and delivers peace for both Israelis and Palestinians.

Yemen

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2015 to Question 11278, who is responsible for restrictions on commercial and humanitarian shipping to Yemen.

Mr Desmond Swayne: A number of parties are responsible for the conflict in Yemen which has led to the restrictions on commercial and humanitarian shipping to Yemen. At President Hadi’s request, Saudi-led Coalition airstrikes began in March 2015 following a rebellion against President Hadi and the Government of Yemen by the Houthi’s and forces loyal to former president Saleh. Intense fighting and insecurity on the ground has resulted in restrictions being placed on commercial and humanitarian shipping, and it is proving difficult to distribute food and fuel to those who need it making the humanitarian situation even worse.The most important action to address the humanitarian situation, beyond a ceasefire, is to open up access for commercial and humanitarian goods to reach those most in need. All parties to the conflict should take all reasonable steps to allow and facilitate humanitarian access, to facilitate immediate access to life-saving supplies both into and within Yemen. The Secretary of State for International Development recently reinforced this message at the United Nations General Assembly in September.The UK also supports the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism, UNVIM, which is now being established to address commercial shipping needs. It involves setting up an internationally-staffed maritime verification centre to replace the existing informal Coalition mechanism. To be effective, all commercial cargo should be within the scope of UNVIM – including fuel.

Yemen: Humanitarian Aid

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2015 to Question 11278, who is currently responsible for impeding humanitarian access to people in need in Yemen.

Mr Desmond Swayne: All parties to the conflict are responsible for impeding humanitarian access to people in need in Yemen. Intense fighting on the ground is making it increasingly hard for agencies to reach those in need within Yemen. This is compounded by restrictions on imports of commercial and humanitarian supplies into the country, including fuel. This in turn is hampering the distribution of humanitarian supplies within country, including essential food and medicines.The UK continues to call on all parties to facilitate rapid, safe and unhindered access to all people in need in Yemen. The UK is one of the largest donors to the crisis and has announced £75m to respond to the crisis in Yemen. UK aid is providing vital medical supplies, water, food and emergency shelter, working with trusted and impartial actors who have a strong track record in delivering assistance in difficult and dangerous places. We also support a UN-led process on access negotiations and the establishment of the Access Working Group where partners report cases of obstruction and accessible routes.

Syria: Refugees

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support refugee camps near the Syrian border in order to tackle the root causes of migration to Europe.

Justine Greening: DFID works to give Syrians hope and opportunities, so they will not have to risk their lives fleeing the region. The UK has been at the forefront of the response to the crisis in Syria and the region. To date, we have pledged over £1.1 billion, our largest ever response to a humanitarian crisis. Beyond addressing immediate needs, the UK is working with host countries to support their long-term resilience and expand opportunities for refugees, for example through funding to Lebanese and Jordanian municipalities for the running of essential public services.

Department for Education

Children's Play

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will implement the recommendations of the All-Party Group on a Fit and Healthy Childhood on encouraging play in childhood development and learning in school.

Edward Timpson: We want all children to lead healthy active lifestyles. Physical activity and play are important throughout childhood and can contribute enormously to the healthy development of children. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework emphasises this and makes clear that in their early years children learn through play. When inspecting childcare providers, including schools, Ofsted look at how staff are enabling children to play in ways that help them develop and learn. Ofsted’s recent report on Teaching and Play is available to view at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teaching-and-play-in-the-early-years-a-balancing-actThe EYFS framework can be found here at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2

Physical Education

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve physical fitness standards in schools.

Edward Timpson: We want all children to lead healthy and active lives. Physical Education (PE) is a compulsory subject at all four key stages in the national curriculum. The programme of study makes clear that a high-quality PE curriculum should provide opportunities for pupils to become physically confident in a way which supports their health and fitness.Through the introduction of the primary PE and Sport Premium in 2013, primary schools will have received over £450 million of ring-fenced funding to improve the quality of their PE and sport provision.The Department of Health provided £1.5 million this year to fund Change4Life Sports Clubs which target less active children in primary schools. An independent evaluation published on 19 October 2015in 2012/13 found that over two years the number of children who were active for at least 60 minutes every day was 69 per cent higher after 12 weeks in the Change4Life primary schools sports clubs than it was when they started. Researchers estimate that this represents an additional 33,000 children achieving this level over the life of the programme. Since 2011, 270,000 primary school children have benefitted from the sports clubs. The report can be found at: http://www.canterbury.ac.uk/social-and-applied-sciences/human-and-life-sciences/spear/docs/change-4-life-final-report.pdfWe are working closely with the Department of Health and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on their respective forthcoming strategies on childhood obesity and sports. The strategies will tackle childhood obesity and increase the number of people participating in sport and wider physical activity.

Primary Education: Lambeth

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish the October 2015 census data for primary school reception class places for each school in the London Borough of Lambeth.

Edward Timpson: The department does not publish information from the October school census, and instead publishes information from the January census which is the only one of the termly censuses that covers all school types and collects information on class sizes. We collect data on pupils but not on places in schools. Data from the January 2016 school census will be published in June 2016.

Special Educational Needs

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations she has received about the length of time parents and young people wait for an Education Health and Care Plan; and if she will slow down the transfer to the new system to ensure that local authorities are better prepared to move to the new system.

Edward Timpson: There has been on-going dialogue with parents and local authorities on the time frame for Education, Health and Care (EHC) assessment and EHC plan development. The government has listened to those views, and as a result, from 1 September 2015 we extended the timescale for the completion of the transfer of a statement of SEN to an EHC plan from 16 to 20 weeks. This is for Transfer Reviews commenced on or after 1 September 2015: a minimum of two weeks’ notice period, followed by a maximum of 18 weeks for the Transfer Review itself.We are continuing to monitor the EHC plan transfer process.

Free School Meals

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children are entitled to receive free school meals but do not receive them.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The January 2015 census recorded that there were 2,755,021 children registered for free school meals (FSM). We do not hold information on the number of FSM entitled pupils who did not receive a school meal.Further information is available in the link below:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2015

Primary Education: Free School Meals

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2015 to Question 11448, what estimate her Department has made of the cost of providing free school meals for Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 pupils in each of the next five years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The government is currently conducting a Spending Review across all its programmes. Our assessment of cost scenarios forms part of that review.

Schools: Work Experience

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential benefits of re-introducing compulsory work experience for under 16 year olds.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We are making the whole education system much more closely linked to the world of work. We have put more emphasis on mastering vital skills, more respected qualifications, and given employers greater influence over the content of courses, so young people have the skills that universities and employers value. We want more young people to have the opportunity to take part in high quality work experience that helps to prepare them for the workplace and develop the employability skills that employers require. Work experience is an important element of post-16 provision – new personalised study programmes include some form of work experience or work-related learning that is relevant to the career aspirations of students. We recognise that younger children benefit from contact with employers but we trust head teachers to decide what is best for their pupils, including when and how to take part in work experience. We are providing valuable support through a new employer-led Careers & Enterprise Company has been tasked with increasing the level of employer input into schools and colleges.

Ministry of Justice

Written Questions: Government Responses

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when his Department plans to answer Question 8351 on Courts: Buildings, tabled by the hon. Member for Hammersmith on 21 July 2015.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The answer to 8351 was given on the 20th October 2015.

Ministry of Justice: Legal Opinion

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the 20 highest amounts paid for external legal advice by his Department were in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; and to whom such payments were made.

Mr Shailesh Vara: It would incur disproportionate cost to obtain this information.

Ministry of Justice: Legal Opinion

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the 20 highest amounts paid for external legal advice by his Department were in 2014; and to whom such payments were made.

Mr Shailesh Vara: It would incur disproportionate cost to obtain this information.

Employment Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many days were taken to process and grant each application for readmission of employment tribunal fees that have been (a) granted and (b) partially granted since the introduction of those fees.

Mr Shailesh Vara: I have treated your question as asking for the average number of days taken to process remission applications since the introduction of fees. The information on remissions granted both fully and partially is available within the Ministry of Justice Official Tribunal Statistics and can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics.

Trials

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the cost to the court system of delays caused by (a) ineffective criminal trials and (b) cracked trials was in each year between 2010-11 and 2014-15.

Mr Shailesh Vara: This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Justice: Legal Opinion

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department spent on external legal advice not from Queen's Counsel since 7 May 2010.

Mr Shailesh Vara: It would incur disproportionate cost to obtain this information.

Community Rehabilitation Companies: Charities

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps Community Rehabilitation Companies are taking to engage with local charities to prevent prisoners from reoffending.

Andrew Selous: Charities and the voluntary sector have long played an important role in rehabilitating offenders and continue to do so under the Government’s reforms to rehabilitation services. Under the Transforming Rehabilitation reforms, we opened up the market in order to get the best out of the public, private and third sectors. 19 out of the 21 CRCs are being run with assistance from staff mutual or VCSE, and all contracted probation providers have included VCSE organisations in their supply chains.

Staffordshire and West Midlands Community Rehabilitation Company: Staff

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make representations to Staffordshire and West Midlands Rehabilitation Company on ensuring jobs are not lost by the planned transfer of responsibilities for probation service administration staff to Derby.

Andrew Selous: Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs), including Staffordshire and West Midlands CRC, set out an agreed operating model within their bids during the Transforming Rehabilitation competition. These bids were rigorously scrutinised before contracts were awarded. A thorough evaluation process was undertaken to assess the operational viability of the bids in the wider context of public protection and reducing reoffending.All CRCs are contractually required to maintain a professional and appropriately skilled workforce to deliver the services set out in their contracts. The MoJ closely monitors the performance of CRCs, in line with government standards, to make sure they fulfil their contractual commitments to maintain service delivery, reduce reoffending and deliver value for money to the taxpayer.

Just Solutions International

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will issue a new impact assessment examining the economic and value for money consequences of Just Solutions international.

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish the review which led the Government to decide not to proceed with a prisons training contract with Saudi Arabia.

Andrew Selous: I refer the hon member to the Secretary of State’s statement of 13 October 2015. As has been the practice with successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed. We have no plans to undertake an impact assessment.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service: Staff

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Written Statement by the Minister for the Courts and Legal Aid of 15 October 2015, HCWS 237, on HM Courts & Tribunal Service, if it is his policy for staff of that service to remain civil servants.

Mr Shailesh Vara: As I stated in my Written Ministerial Statement of 15 October, the department has withdrawn the procurement for an external provider for compliance and enforcement services. Therefore permanent members of staff employed by Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service in compliance and enforcement roles will remain as civil servants.

Administration of Justice: Saudi Arabia

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish the Memorandum of Understanding entered into by his Department with the Saudi Arabian government.

Dominic Raab: The Information Commissioner’s Office has upheld the decision not to publish this Memorandum of Understanding. That correspondence can be found here: https://ico.org.uk/media/action-weve-taken/decision-notices/2015/1432375/fs_50579089.pdf.

Administration of Justice: Saudi Arabia

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what matters have been discussed under the Memorandum of Understanding on judicial co-operation entered into with Saudi Arabia in September 2014.

Dominic Raab: Initial exploratory discussions have taken place regarding possible areas for cooperation.

Prime Minister

Capital Punishment

Paul Flynn: To ask the Prime Minister, under which conditions he can order the killing of a UK citizen resident abroad.

Mr David Cameron: The Government will always act in defence of the UK and in accordance with our legal obligations.

Domestic Visits: Herefordshire

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Prime Minister, when he next plans to visit Herefordshire.

Mr David Cameron: I visit all parts of the United Kingdom regularly. Details of my visits within the United Kingdom are published on the gov.uk website.

Counter-terrorism

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the Answer to Question 9571 of 14 September 2015, whether the Attorney General was clear there was a legal basis for this action in domestic law.

Mr David Cameron: As I said in my oral statement of 7 September 2015, Official Report, column 23, the action we took was entirely lawful.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Theatre: Children

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to support the expansion of children's theatres across the UK.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government believes it is important for all young people to have access to the very best arts and culture, and will continue to support children's theatres through Arts Council England’s National Portfolio Organisations (NPOs)and Grants for theArts projects.For example, 2012 – 2015 (year to date) NPO funding has provided over £74 million to organisations that provide support to children and young people’s theatre, while Grants for theArts has invested £4 million ofNationalLottery funds in theatre projects specifically for children and young people. TheGovernment'sTheatres Taxrelief, launched during the last Parliament,also supports new and touring theatre productions across the UK and includes children’s theatres.

Arts: Young People

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress he has made on promoting greater access to the arts for young people from all backgrounds.

Mr Edward Vaizey: TheGovernmentbelievesthatchildrenfromall backgrounds should haveaccessto the very best artsandculture in and out of school.We supportthe Arts Council's recently launched CulturalEducation Challenge (details can be found at:http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/news/arts-council-news/arts-council-england-launches-cultural-education-c/)which ensures that all children and young people of all backgrounds have access to great arts and culture, and that every child can create, compose, and perform; visit, experience and participate in the arts.The Government is also supporting music and cultural education programmes with an investment of £460 million between 2012 and 2016 and is working closely with Arts Council England to promote diversity across the country; Arts Council England has allocated £6m of strategic funds to a new diversity fund for 2015-18.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Pressure Groups

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what meetings his Department has had with representatives of the (a) Taxpayers' Alliance, (b) Confederation of British Industry, (c) Institute of Economic Affairs, (d) Adam Smith Institute, (e) Freedom Association, (f) Politics and Economics Research Trust and (g) Midlands Industrial Council in the last 12 calendar months.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Details of Ministers' andPermanentSecretaries meetings with external organisations are published up to 31March 2015 and can be accessed on Gov.uk at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministers-transparency-publicationsFurther publications of Ministerial and Permanent Secretaries meetings will be published in due course.

Cultural Heritage: Planning

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of guidelines in national planning guidance on archaeology and heritage in managing heritage assets.

Tracey Crouch: Historic England is currently exploring ways of assessing the effectiveness of heritage-related planning policy and law in practice.Its assessment of nearly 200 heritage-related planning appeal decisions, its own experience, and its discussions with practitioners all suggest that the application of national policy in relation to the historic environment appears to be broadly effective, and maintains an appropriate degree of protection.

Archaeology

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what support his Department provides to finds liaison officers to ensure that detected archaeological finds are properly recorded in a speedier manner in order to encourage more finds to be declared to local authorities.

Mr Edward Vaizey: DCMS funds the Portable Antiques Scheme (PAS) at the British Museum through grant in aid. The scheme offers specifically-trained Finds Liason Officers to local Authorities to record Archaeological finds. In order to record finds quickly, these officers support Finders in self-recording, and run training schemes.There is a network of 39 Finds Liaison Officers, based in museums and county councils throughout England and Wales and six National Finds Advisers. The data gathered by the Scheme is published on an online database (www.finds.org.uk).

Television: Licensing

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions took place between the Government and the BBC on free television licences for people over 75 before the decision was made that the BBC would fund such licences; and when such discussions took place.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The decision to transfer of thecost of providing free television licences for over-75s to the BBC was an agreement reached by the Government and the BBC. The Governmentmet both the BBC Executive and the BBC Trust to discuss thison a number of occasions ahead of the announcement.

Television: Licensing

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with age-related third sector or charity organisations on the withdrawal of Government funding for free television licences for people over 75.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The over 75’s continue to receive free TV licenses, following agreements between the BBC and Government that the BBC would assume responsibility for the over 75s television licence concession.

Broadband

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2015 to Question 10535, what steps he is taking specifically to encourage the deployment of fibre to the premises in new build housing developments.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government is looking at ways to ensure that newly built premises get at least superfast broadband connectivity, including legislation if necessary. We are discussing this with telecoms infrastructure providers and developers. But it is for the market to determine the most appropriate technology that should be used.

Kew Palace: Expenditure

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the (a) current and (b) capital expenditure was for Kew Palace in financial years 2001-02 to 2014-15.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Current and Capital Expenditure for Kew Palace - 2001-02 to 2014-15.As a self-financing, Royal Charter Body with charitable status, Historic Royal Palaces' definition of current and capital expenditure may differ from those used within government. The representation expenditure represents the final phase of the overall £6.6 million repair and representation project culminating in the re-opening of Kew Palace in 2006. All figures in the table exclude non-recoverable VAT (currently an additional 13%.)Due to HRP's success at Kew, it has taken on and is now representing the Royal Kitchens and is in the process of planning the same for the Great Pagoda, both transferred from the Royal Botanic Gardens. Spending increases since 2006 are as a result of these openings.YearCurrent expenditure £000sRepresentation expenditure £000sCapital Expenditure £000s2001/262002/3262003/411202004/5113712005/6302,6303272006/72956952007/8349(19)2482008/9329(10)2009/10324102010/112922011/122832012/133151732013/143872014/15412 Total 3,070 3008 843

Department for Work and Pensions

Credit Unions

Mr Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the Government's credit union expansion programme; and what assessment he has made of the feasibility of extending that programme.

Justin Tomlinson: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 19 October 2015.The correct answer should have been:

DWP’s contract with the Association of British Credit Unions Ltd to deliver the Credit Union Expansion Project began in May 2013. It wasis due to end in April 20156 but we are currently considering a request for an further extension. The Department has plans to review effectiveness at the end of the Project.

Justin Tomlinson: DWP’s contract with the Association of British Credit Unions Ltd to deliver the Credit Union Expansion Project began in May 2013. It wasis due to end in April 20156 but we are currently considering a request for an further extension. The Department has plans to review effectiveness at the end of the Project.

Recruitment: Discrimination

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of anonymising job applications in tackling discrimination in the jobs market.

Priti Patel: The department has made no specific assessment of the effectiveness of anonymising job applications in tackling discrimination in the jobs market.Early discussions are currently taking place between DWP and large employers through employer roundtables about the scope for reforming recruitment policy through anonymised applications.

Carers: Universal Credit

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what effect the introduction of universal credit will have on the income of those working in a job from which they derive net earnings of less than £110 per week and who are the principal carers for elderly relatives with a disability.

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what effect the introduction of universal credit will have on the income of those working in a job from which they derive net earnings of at least £111 per week and who are the principal carers for elderly relatives with a disability.

Priti Patel: Carer’s Allowance ceases when the claimant earns more than £110 a week. There is not a similar cliff-edge effect in Universal Credit. Carers who combine caring with paid work will continue to have the Carer Element included in the calculation of their overall award for as long as they provide care for at least 35 hours per week for a severely disabled person.In Universal Credit, earned income by members of the household is subjected to a work allowance. Different amounts are disregarded from earnings in order to reflect the needs of different types of household and to support the aim that work pays. Carers are entitled to one of these work allowances depending on their family type, although there is not a work allowance specifically for carers.Carers who combine work with caring will be able to earn up to their work allowance without their Universal Credit entitlement being affected. If earnings exceed that allowance then the Universal Credit award will reduce gradually as earnings increase.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people claiming (a) jobseeker's allowance, (b) employment and support allowance and (c) income support who were sanctioned in the last 12 months moved into work within one month of being sanctioned.

Priti Patel: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Income Support

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people claiming income support (a) are pregnant and (b) gave birth within the last 15 weeks.

Priti Patel: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Income Support

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people claiming income support work between one and 16 hours per week.

Priti Patel: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit: Disqualification

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to publish statistics on the number of sanctions made in relation to jobseekers claiming universal credit.

Priti Patel: The information you have requested is not currently available. The Department published its strategy for releasing official statistics on Universal Credit (UC) in September 2013. As outlined in the strategy, officials are currently quality assuring data for UC. All statistics will be published in accordance with the relevant protocols in the Code of Practice for official statistics.The latest official experimental statistics on UC and the Departments release strategy can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/universal-credit-statistics

Department for Work and Pensions: Publications

Dr Tania Mathias: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason his Department's guidance on accessible communication formats published on 14 August 2014 does not include email as an accessible format; and what consultation his Department had with disability groups before producing that guidance.

Justin Tomlinson: The guidance referred to was published before 2010 and moved from the Office for Disability Issues (ODI) website to GOV.UK last August. It was written for government communicators on how to make effective use of accessible communications formats. It was not about specific means of communication, e.g. email, letters etc. This document is due to be reviewed and updated.Stakeholders groups were involved when the document was originally produced, and will be invited to be part of the review process.

Access to Work Programme: Preston

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost to the public purse was for (a) British Sign Language interpreters and (b) communication support workers provided for people in Preston parliamentary constituency with hearing deficits or deafness under the Access to Work programme in each month between January 2014 and June 2015.

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with hearing deficits or deafness in Preston constituency had (a) British Sign Language interpreters or (b) Communication Support Workers provided to assist them under the Access to Work programme between 1 October 2014 and 30 September 2015.

Justin Tomlinson: The table below shows Access to Work expenditure on British Sign Language (BSL) Interpreters for people in the Preston constituency who had a primary medical condition recorded as "Deaf and hard of hearing" for each of the months requested. Access to Work expenditure on Communication Support Workers for people in the Preston constituency who had a primary medical condition recorded as "Deaf and hard of hearing" relates to fewer than 10 people and has not been provided in order to avoid disclosure.MonthSupport Worker TypeBSL InterpreterJan-14£31,000Feb-14£13,000Mar-14£11,000Apr-14£13,000May-14£9,000Jun-14£8,000Jul-14£14,000Aug-14£11,000Sep-14£4,000Oct-14£6,000Nov-14£11,000Dec-14£13,000Jan-15£8,000Feb-15£31,000Mar-15£20,000Apr-15£8,000May-15£11,000Jun-15£6,000Twenty people in the Preston constituency who had a primary medical condition recorded as "Deaf and hard of hearing" were helped by British Sign Language (BSL) Interpreters as part of Access to Work during the most recent annual period for which data are available (July 2014 and June 2015). 12265Fewer than 10 individuals in the Preston constituency who had a primary medical condition recorded as "Deaf and hard of hearing" were helped by Communication Support Workers during this period. To avoid possible disclosure the precise figure has not been provided. 12266

Employment and Support Allowance: Cancer

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of the proposal to reduce the employment and support allowance work-related activity group rate on patients recovering from cancer.

Priti Patel: The Government set out its assessment of the impacts of the policies in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill on 20th July. These are available on the Parliament website: http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2015-16/welfarereformandwork/documents.html

Employment and Support Allowance

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2015 to Question 11270, for what reason it was decided to make the provision of audio recording facilities available for employment and support allowance assessments but not for personal independence payment assessments.

Justin Tomlinson: In his first review of the Work Capability Assessment, Professor Harrington recommended piloting the audio recording of face-to-face assessments to see if the approach was helpful for clients and improved quality.Findings from the pilot showed that recording assessments did not improve the quality of assessments. Less than half those claimants taking part thought the recording would be helpful to them and only a handful requested a copy. Having carefully considered the results of the pilot, it was decided not to make the provision of audio recording of assessments a contractual requirement within the specification for Personal Independence Payment (PIP).However, claimants who wish to record their PIP assessment may do so using their own equipment provided they comply with the conditions put in place; these were outlined in the response provided to your previous question on this subject on 9 September 2015.

Ministry of Defence

Army

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many regular soldiers he plans to maintain in each of the next three years.

Mark Lancaster: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 20 October 2015.The correct answer should have been:

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Reserves (Mr Brazier) on 20 July 2015 to Question number 7353 to the hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Kevan Jones).



Army
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Mr Kevan Jones: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Reserves (Mr Brazier) on 20 July 2015 to Question number 7353 to the hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Kevan Jones).



Army
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Baltic States: Armed Forces

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what representations he has received from his Russian counterpart on the deployment of UK troops to the Baltic states.

Michael Fallon: None.

Strategic Defence and Security Review

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many submissions his Department has received to date from (a) hon. Members, (b) academics, (c) industry, (d) think tanks, (e) allies and partners, (f) non-governmental organisations and (g) the public on the forthcoming National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review documents.

Michael Fallon: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 20 October 2015.The correct answer should have been:

The Ministry of Defence receives a very wide range of letters from interested groups and individuals, on the National Security Strategy and the Strategic Defence and Security Review. Information on the breakdown of these could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review are cross Government reviews led by the Cabinet Office. They will be closely aligned with the 2015 Spending Review and are expected to be published towards the end of the year.

Michael Fallon: The Ministry of Defence receives a very wide range of letters from interested groups and individuals, on the National Security Strategy and the Strategic Defence and Security Review. Information on the breakdown of these could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review are cross Government reviews led by the Cabinet Office. They will be closely aligned with the 2015 Spending Review and are expected to be published towards the end of the year.

Strategic Defence and Security Review

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to lay a copy of the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review before the House.

Michael Fallon: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 20 October 2015.The correct answer should have been:

The Ministry of Defence receives a very wide range of letters from interested groups and individuals, on the National Security Strategy and the Strategic Defence and Security Review. Information on the breakdown of these could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review are cross Government reviews led by the Cabinet Office. They will be closely aligned with the 2015 Spending Review and are expected to be published towards the end of the year.

Michael Fallon: The Ministry of Defence receives a very wide range of letters from interested groups and individuals, on the National Security Strategy and the Strategic Defence and Security Review. Information on the breakdown of these could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review are cross Government reviews led by the Cabinet Office. They will be closely aligned with the 2015 Spending Review and are expected to be published towards the end of the year.

Veterans: Complaints

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to introduce greater speed and efficiency in the handling of complaints made to the armed forces by injured veterans.

Mark Lancaster: Serving or former members of the UK Armed Forces can make a complaint if they feel that they have been wronged on a matter that arises when they are, or were, subject to Service law.The Ministry of Defence worked closely with the first Service Complaints Commissioner, to see how the Service complaints process could be made more efficient whilst maintaining fairness, and strengthening the Commissioner role. This was the basis of the Armed Forces (Service Complaints and Financial Assistance) Bill which received Royal Assent on 26 March 2015.This Act shortens the complaints process, and replaces the Commissioner with a new Service Complaints Ombudsman. Implementation is expected early in 2016. The Ombudsman will have significant new powers through which we will be held to account for the fairness, effectiveness and efficiency of how the system operates.

Submarines: Accidents

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reasons Submarine Exercise Areas Ardglass and Peel were not activated on 15 April 2015.

Penny Mordaunt: It is incorrect to say that the exercise areas of Ardglass and Peel were not activated on 15 April 2015. The SUBFACTS issued to the coastguards in Aberdeen, Belfast and Stornaway on 14 April included both Ardglass and Peel in the areas activated for dived submarine operations in the 24 hour period from 0800 on 15 April 2015.

Submarines

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Fishing Vessel Avoidance UK Code of Practice extracted from SMP 95 dated 5 June 2002 applies to Vanguard and Astute class submarines on operational patrols.

Penny Mordaunt: The procedures and arrangements in the Code of Practice apply to all Royal Navy submarines irrespective to the tasking of the submarine (ie whether transits, exercises or other dived activity), and to Allied submarines operating in UK territorial and internal waters.

Submarines: Accidents

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the submarine involved in the incident with MV Karen on 15 April 2015 was participating in Exercise Joint Warrior at the time of the incident.

Penny Mordaunt: I am withholding this information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Radioactive Materials: Transport

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason high security vehicles were being used to transport components of nuclear weapons through Glasgow on 29 July 2015 after being withdrawn from service.

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator has amended his advice on when high security vehicles for transporting special nuclear materials should be withdrawn from service; and for what reasons those vehicles continue to be used after their retirement date.

Mr Philip Dunne: The High Security Vehicle was withdrawn from service on 31 July 2015 and has therefore not been used for operations since that date. The decision to withdraw the vehicle was taken by Defence Equipment and Support. I am withholding further information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Navy

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has to provide better incentives for recruitment and retention in the Royal Navy.

Penny Mordaunt: The Naval Service utilises a wide range of initiatives, such as targeted marketing, specific recruitment events, career extensions and the use of retention incentives. There are also some specific mechanisms in place to attract recruits in specialist areas, such as staged remunerative awards to new entry Engineer Officers with relevant degrees and the Direct Entry Technician Scheme, a one year trial to recruit suitably qualified and experienced personnel from private industry.

Armed Forces Covenant

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to ensure that the Armed Forces Covenant fully addresses the healthcare needs of all active and retired servicemen and women with (a) post-traumatic stress disorder and (b) other conditions.

Mark Lancaster: The Armed Forces Covenant sets a number of goals with respect to healthcare, including that members of the Armed Forces community should enjoy the same standard of, and access to, healthcare as received by any other UK citizen in the area where they live. With regard to Mental Health, the Armed Forces Covenant states that veterans should be able to access mental health professionals who have an understanding of Armed Forces culture.The Ministry of Defence provides primary healthcare for all Service personnel including mobilised Reservists. The provision of veterans' healthcare, including for those affected by post-traumatic stress disorder and other conditions, is primarily the responsibility of the National Health Service in England and the Devolved Administrations. Veterans in England, Scotland and Wales are entitled to priority access to secondary healthcare for conditions suspected to be due to their service in the Armed Forces, subject to the clinical needs of others. In Northern Ireland, the mental health needs of returning ex-Service personnel continue to be addressed either through the Ulster Defence Regiment and Royal Irish Aftercare Service, through Combat Stress, or directly within the mainstream Primary Care and Mental Health services.For a summary of our approach to ensuring that our serving Armed Forces personnel receive the very best mental healthcare provision, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 10 September 2015 to Question 9141 to the hon. Member for Tewkesbury (Mr Robertson). http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-09-07/9141/For details of the steps we have taken to ensure that veterans are provided with the support they need, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 15 September 2015 to Question 9865 to the hon. Member for Inverclyde (Mr Cowan). http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-09-10/9865/



Armed Forces: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
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Veterans: Mental Health Services
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War Pensions

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people have qualified for a war pension as a result of contracting Hepatitis C or HIV from an infected blood transfusion while serving in the armed forces.

Mark Lancaster: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Home Office

Gangmasters Licensing Authority: Staff

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority are dedicated to frontline inspection activity.

Karen Bradley: The total number of staff involved in frontline inspection activity is 55. This includes staff who carry out physical inspections for compliance purposes, those who undertake enforcement activity, and those who provide logistical and intelligence gathering support.

Human Trafficking

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the performance of (a) the police and (b) her Department in responding to human trafficking; and what steps she is taking to improve the way reports of human trafficking are dealt with.

Karen Bradley: The Government has set out its plan for responding to human trafficking in the Modern Slavery Strategy. The Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group (IDMG) on Modern Slavery oversees implementation of the strategy, supported by a quarterly Strategy Board, a monthly stakeholder meeting, and a Modern Slavery Threat Group that is chaired by Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer, the National Policing Lead for Modern Slavery. The IDMG’s 2015 report will be published shortly and will provide a detailed assessment of the scale and nature of the threat, what the Government has done to respond and our priorities for future work. In addition, the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner will each year publish a report on his work and on progress being made on tackling modern slavery. As part of our wider strategy, the Government is committed to strengthening the way in which we identify and refer potential victims of trafficking into the National Referral Mechanism. As part of this, the Home Office is piloting reforms to the National Referral Mechanism in West Yorkshire and the South West.

Undocumented Workers: Off-licences and Take-away Food

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will estimate the number of illegal migrants working in late-night takeaways and off-licences.

James Brokenshire: It is not currently possible to quantify accurately the number of immigration offenders in the UK as, by their very nature, those that deliberately evade immigration control to enter and stay in the country illegally are not officially recorded until they come to light and are arrested. The current Immigration Bill includes measures to prevent illegal workers from obtaining and holding licences permitting the sale of alcohol or late night refreshments, as part of a range of provisions continuing the Government's reforms to tackle illegal working.

Undocumented Migrants

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were incorrectly investigated as a result of immigration officials believing that they were living illegally in the UK in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 14 October 2015



This data can not be extrapolated from our systems and would necessitate a case by case examination across multiple IT systems. The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost. All of Immigration Enforcement's operations are intelligence led and are only conducted when information suggests that they will encounter an illegal migrant.

Security Guards: Licensing

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people in the UK are currently in possession of Security Industry Authority licences; and how many such licences were obtained since January 2010.

Mike Penning: There are currently 326,144 individuals who hold Security Industry Authority licences. Since 2010, 765,022 licences have been issued.

Visas: Applications

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visa applications to her Department's super premium service have been rejected in the last 12 months.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 15 October 2015



Please see the information given below. Between 1 October 2014 and 30 September 2015 the super premium service refused 6 cases.Case PriorityFirst Case OutcomeNo. Of CasesSuper Premium ServiceGranted385Super Premium ServiceRefused6

Immigration

Roger Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will conduct a review of the process for applying for leave to remain in the UK to improve it for applicants.

James Brokenshire: UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) is committed to continuous improvement in the service it gives to applicants. Current initiatives include greater use of online applications and payments and the development of new digital services. Further opportunities to improve the service for example, working more closely with sponsors (employers and educational institutions) to provide support to customers are under consideration. In April 2015 UKVI as a whole achieved the Customer Service Excellence accreditation which is testament to its focus and progress in this area.

Afghanistan: Drugs

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to prevent the export of illegal drugs from Afghanistan.

Mike Penning: Her Majesty's Government provides counter-narcotics assistance to a range of international partners, including Afghanistan. We do so to tackle the international drugs trade and minimise the threat it poses to the UK. Our work involves the sharing of operational information and expertise and the provision of capacity building. It is important to protect activities which form part of the UK's contribution to the international counter-narcotics effort and to respect the principle that international partners are able to operate in secrecy on matters of national security against organised crime. As such, it is our policy not to disclose specific details of our counter narcotics work, as to do so risks reducing its effectiveness and damaging international relations.

Organised Crime: Drugs

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many individual investigations the National Crime Agency has conducted into County Line operations; and how many prosecutions have resulted from such investigations.

Karen Bradley: The National Crime Agency’s remit relating to ‘county lines’ does not focus on the conduct of individual investigations and prosecutions. Individual investigations and prosecutions remain the responsibility of local police forces. Information on the number of investigations and prosecutions relating to county lines specifically is not collated centrally.

Organised Crime: Drugs

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions the (a) National Crime Agency and (b) SOCA have declined a request by a police force to investigate a suspected County Line on grounds of the age of suspects.

Karen Bradley: The National Crime Agency have confirmed they, and previously the Serious Organised Crime Agency, have not, and would not decline a request by a police force to support an investigation on ‘County Lines’ based on the grounds of the age of the suspects.

Organised Crime: Drugs

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many prosecutions for trafficking offences linked to County Line investigations there have been to date in cases where a child under the age of 18 was trafficked to another area to distribute drugs; and what the outcomes were of such prosecutions.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office does not hold this information. Decisions on prosecutions are for the Crown Prosecution Service in consultation with the relevant police force.

Stansted Airport: Immigration Controls

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many of the ePassport gates at Stansted Airport were fully functional on the evening of Monday 12 October 2015.

James Brokenshire: All fifteen ePassport Gates were open and fully functional at Stansted Airport on the evening of Monday 12 October 2015.

Prisoners: Immigrants

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in which prisons people are currently held solely under immigration powers; and if she will publish this information as part of the quarterly immigration statistics.

James Brokenshire: As of 13th October 2015, the prisons detailed below are holding individuals in England and Wales solely under immigration powers:AltcourseBedfordBelmarshBirminghamBristolBrixtonBronzefieldBulingdonCardiffChelmsfordDoncasterDovegateDrake HallDurhamElmleyExeterFeatherstoneFelthamForest BankFoston HallGlen ParvaGuys MarshHaveriggHewellHigh DownHighpointHollowayHolme HouseHumberHuntercombeLeedsLeicesterLewesLincolnLittleheyLiverpoolMaidstoneManchesterMoorlandMountNorwichNottinghamOakwoodOnleyParcPentonvillePeterboroughPortlandPrestonRisleyRye HillStockenStyalSwanseaSwinfen HallThamesideWandsworthWinchesterWoodhillWormwood ScrubsWymottAs of 13th October 2015, the prisons detailed below are holding individuals in Scotland under immigration powers:Barlinnie, Cornton Vale, Edinburgh, Low Moss and Polmont.The information provided in the table above is based on management information only and has not been subject to the detailed checks that apply for National Statistics publications. These figures are provisional and are subject to change.The Home Office do not regularly publish data relating to the location of individuals held in prison solely under immigration powers. While migration statistics are kept under review, there are no immediate plans to include the management information above.

Immigration and Naturalisation: Applications

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many errors made by staff of her Department in recording details such as addresses and country of birth on applications for (a) naturalisation and (b) indefinite leave to remain forms have had to be corrected in the last month.

James Brokenshire: This information is not aggregated in national reporting systems. It could only be obtained by a disproportionately expensive manual case by case search to collate the data.

Immigration: Applications

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken was to respond to a new application for indefinite leave to remain in the last 12 months.

James Brokenshire: In line with published data, statistics are available for the 12 month period from 31 July 2014 to 30 June 2015. In that period the average time it took to issue the first substantive Home Office response to a new application for indefinite leave to remain was 14 calendar days.

Police: Disciplinary Proceedings

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers have been (a) allowed to continue on full duties, (b) placed on restricted duties and (c) suspended with figures following a death in custody and during an investigation for gross misconduct in each year since 2010.

Mike Penning: The Home Office does not hold data on the number of police officers allowed to continue on full duties, placed on restricted duties or suspended following a death in police custody or during an investigation for gross misconduct. The issue of deaths and serious incidents in police custody has long been a priority issue for the Home Office and on 23 July 2015, the Home Secretary announced the launch of an independent review of this issue.

Asylum: Syria

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum applications made by Syrian nationals in each of the last three years were refused on the grounds that the applicant could be returned to a safe third country.

James Brokenshire: In the last three years, the numbers of Syrian nationals (main applicants only) refused asylum on third country grounds were as follows:26 in 201299 in 201366 in 2014The Home Office publishes annual and quarterly data on asylum applications and initial decisions; this is available in Table as_01 (Asylum data tables Volume 1) of the quarterly Immigration Statistics release.A copy of the latest release, Immigration Statistics April – June 2015, is available from https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release.

Immigration: Syria

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for family reunion made by Syrian nationals have been (a) received, (b) decided, (c) granted and (d) refused in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: The numbers of applications for family reunion visas from Syrian nationals received, decided, granted and refused in each of the last five years is set out in the table below.ReportYearApplicationsIssuedRefusedWithdrawnLapsed20104426600201156458022012250134454020139306196412020141172980209163Source: PRAU 14.10.15Footnote: Applications may be decided in subsequent periods and therefore do not equal the total of issued, refusals, withdrawn and lapsed. For example some applications in 2014 may be decided in 2015.’

Deportation: Syria

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Syrian nationals have been returned to third countries under the Dublin Regulations in each of the last three years.

James Brokenshire: The number of Syrian nationals transferred to third countries because those States are responsible for examining their asylum claims under the Dublin Convention and the later Dublin II and Dublin III Regulations, is shown in the table below.Year Transfers2012 222013 352014 25

Police: Stun Guns

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the national standards are for the training and guidance of police officers in deploying stinger devices.

Mike Penning: Holding answer received on 16 October 2015



National standards for training police officers in the deployment of stinger devices is an operational matter for individual police Chief Officers drawing on the police’s own Authorised Professional Practice of England and Wales Police, developed by the College of Policing.

Asylum: Finance

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect on claimants of the reduction in section 95 support for asylum seeker families and children.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 19 October 2015



Asylum seekers and their dependants receive a package of support from the taxpayer if they are destitute. The support provided usually consists of accommodation, with no charge for rent or utility costs, and a weekly cash allowance. The level of the cash allowance was reduced from 10 August 2015, but the Government remains satisfied that it is sufficient to meet the essential living needs of all supported families.

Police: South East

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will merge the Hampshire, Surrey and Sussex police forces.

Mike Penning: Holding answer received on 19 October 2015



Any request from police forces to merge would be considered where it is supported by a robust business case and has local consent. It is the role of directly elected local Police and Crime Commissioners to propose changes to local policing, not central government. It is not necessary for police forces to merge in order to become more efficient. Existing legislation places a strong duty on Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners to collaborate in the interests of efficiency and effectiveness. Many are demonstrating that they can collaborate without sacrificing local accountability and identity. For example, Sussex and Surrey are already working together on collaborations that include a joint IT solution, procurement, major crime, forensics, firearms and fleet.

Police: Stun Guns

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will commission an investigation into the reasons for the proportion of Taser incidents which involve black people; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons information held by her Department regarding the ethnicity, age and gender of people involved in police Taser incidents has not been included in annually published statistics; and if she will ensure such information is included in future publications of annual police Taser incident statistics.

Mike Penning: Holding answer received on 19 October 2015



The Government supports the need for transparent and accurate data on how the police are using force. That is why the Home Secretary asked Chief Constable David Shaw to carry out an in depth review of Taser data and other use of force. The review will present options for collecting, collating and publishing data on how force including Taser is being used by the police, who it is being used on, and what the outcomes are. Chief Constable David Shaw’s Use of Force Data Review is expected to report to the Home Secretary later this year. As with sensitive powers like stop and search, the police use of force warrants proper accountability and transparency.

Drugs: Misuse

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2015 to Question 10467, when she plans for the results of the application of the Family Test on orders seeking to control drugs that are dangerous or otherwise harmful when misused to be published.

Mike Penning: Holding answer received on 20 October 2015



The Family Test was considered when developing previously published Impact Assessments on drug control orders but, in accordance with the published guidance, it was concluded there were no tangible direct impacts on families and it was not proportionate to apply the specific test. Impact assessments published alongside future orders seeking to control drugs will evidence consideration of the Family Test.

Immigration Bill: Families

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the results of the Family Test applied to the policies proposed in the Immigration Bill.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 20 October 2015



In accordance with the public sector equality duty, the Home Office has conducted an equality assessment of all policies in the Immigration Bill. The additional Family Test is designed to support strong and stable family relationships among those families legally resident in the United Kingdom. The Immigration Bill is designed to ensure that people in the UK illegally cannot work and access services. Any impact on people while they are in the United Kingdom illegally which results from the Immigration Bill is temporary, until the point of their departure, and as such the Family Test is not engaged.

Immigrants: Detainees

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her announcement on 9 February 2015 on an independent review of policies and procedures affecting the welfare of those held in immigration removal centres, and pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister for Immigration of 10 September 2015, Official Report, column 601, when she expects that review will be published.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 20 October 2015



Stephen Shaw CBE, the former Prisons and Probation Ombudsman for England and Wales, has recently completed his independent review into welfare in detention and his report has been submitted. His findings are being carefully considered before the report is published by laying it before Parliament, alongside the Government’s response to the recommendations.

Undocumented Migrants: Harwich

Mr Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 15 September 2015 to Question 9820, what information her Department holds on the bail conditions (a) sought and (b) applied in relation to the lorry drivers referred to in that Answer; and what information her Department holds on the whereabouts of those drivers.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: Calais

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to work with her French counterpart to allow increased access by humanitarian organisations to the refugee camp at Calais.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Home Office: Saudi Arabia

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will set out the matters that have been discussed under the Memorandum of Understanding her Department entered into with the Saudi Arabia Ministry of the Interior in March 2014.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: Calais

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the prevalence of sexual abuse of women in the Calais refugee camp; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that women's safety in that camp is protected.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: Calais

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons humanitarian organisations do not operate inside the refugee camps at Calais.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Home Office: Staff

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people are engaged in the Organised Immigration Crime Task Force; and in which countries those people are deployed.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Members: Surveillance

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Wilson Doctrine has been consistently applied to the communications of the hon. Member for Rotherham; and whether that hon. Member has been subject to surveillance.

Mr John Hayes: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Members: Surveillance

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Wilson Doctrine has been consistently applied to the communications of the hon. Member for Walsall South; and whether that hon. Member has been subject to surveillance.

Mr John Hayes: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Members: Surveillance

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Wilson Doctrine has been consistently applied to the parliamentary communications of the hon. Member for Birmingham, Hall Green; and whether that hon. Member has been subject to surveillance.

Mr John Hayes: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Members: Surveillance

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Wilson Doctrine has been consistently applied to the parliamentary communications of the hon. Member for South Shields; and whether that hon. Member has been subject to surveillance.

Mr John Hayes: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

HM Treasury

Opencast Mining: Scotland

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 2.260 of the 2015 Budget, what alternative options his Department has considered to address the environmental liabilities associated with unrestored opencast mines in Scotland; and for what reasons each such option was not chosen.

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of (a) the merits and (b) compatibility with European requirements of a carbon price support exemption scheme in Scotland; and by what process evaluation of that scheme was conducted.

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the potential supplementary income generated from the proposals of a carbon price support exemption scheme in Scotland.

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on employment in (a) Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency and (b) Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock constituency of his Department's decision to not offer assistance with restoration proposals.

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential number of jobs created in (a) Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency and (b) Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock constituency of the implementation of a carbon price support exemption scheme.

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what meetings were held with third parties who objected to proposals to a carbon price support exemption scheme in Scotland.

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the proposal by the RSPB for the creation of a Restoration Investment Fund in areas with orphaned open-cast mines.

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions his Department has held with the Coal Authority and the Department for Energy and Climate Change on proposals for a carbon price support exemption scheme in Scotland.

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reasons his Department determined that addressing liabilities relating to unrestored coal mines in Scotland was a devolved matter.

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department assessed the merits of a carbon price support exemption scheme for (a) Scotland and (b) the UK.

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what advice was provided to his Department by independent environmental bodies on proposals for a carbon price support exemption scheme; and what alternative such proposals were made by those bodies.

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the letter from the Exchequer Secretary of the Treasury to the Scottish Government's Minister for Business, Energy and Tourism, for what reasons his Department has concerns over the implementation of a CPS tax exemption on coal from land restoration sites and its compatibility with European requirements.

Damian Hinds: Environmental protection is a devolved matter, and outstanding land restoration liabilities lie with the relevant local authorities and ultimately with the Scottish Government. The Treasury has fully considered the two proposals put to them for addressing the shortfall of land restoration on abandoned Scottish coal mines: an exemption from the Carbon Price Support (CPS) tax and a direct grant from the Exchequer. Following discussions with Hargreaves, the UK Coal Authority, the Scotland Office, the Scottish Government and DECC, the Treasury has had to decline both proposals after thorough consideration. The reasons for this include: - Addressing the shortfall in land restoration is not the responsibility of the UK Government. Environmental protection is a devolved matter, and outstanding land restoration liabilities lie with the relevant local authorities. - The proposals are unaffordable in the current fiscal climate. They would also set a precedent that would risk discouraging companies and local authorities from making proper financial provision for the cost of site restoration and future environmental liabilities. - A CPS exemption would be an inefficient means of addressing the shortfall of land restoration, as the money would not go directly towards this aim and it would incur significant administration costs. - A CPS exemption would distort the market by making non-exempt coal less competitive, and by discouraging investment in low carbon power generation. I have written to the Scottish Government’s Minister for Business, Energy and Tourism informing him of this decision and I would be happy to consider any other options put forward.

Small Businesses: VAT

Guto Bebb: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on SMEs of a move from the flat rate scheme for VAT to the general rate.

Mr David Gauke: HMRC estimates that, on average, businesses moving from the flat rate scheme to standard VAT accounting incur extra administrative costs of £45 per year.

Pensions: Advisory Services

Owen Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to promote Pension Wise.

Harriett Baldwin: The government launched a comprehensive nationwide marketing campaign in late August. This will ensure that more people are aware of Pension Wise, of how it can help them, and that they can – and do – access high-quality, impartial guidance on making the most of the new pension flexibilities.

Valuation Office Agency

Mark Garnier: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the (a) efficiency of the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) and (b) potential merits of providing emergency payments to councils who face budgeting difficulties due to the time taken by the VOA to re-assess business rates.

Mr David Gauke: By July 2015 the Valuation Office Agency had cleared over 94% of outstanding business rates appeals as of 30 September 2013 in England. The Agency continues to focus on clearing outstanding appeals. In order to further improve the efficiency of the Agency, the Government will introduce a more structured, rigorous and transparent appeals system as part of this session’s Enterprise Bill. The business rates retention scheme in England is providing real incentives for councils to support enterprise and economic growth. In 2015-16, 362 authorities expect to retain an extra £544 million in business rates above baseline funding. Under the scheme, local authorities or pools of local authorities are protected against significant declines in business rates income through a safety net that guarantees income at 92.5% of baseline funding. And in a radical reshaping of the state we will ensure that by the end of the Parliament the local government sector will retain 100% of local taxes to spend on local government services.

Public Expenditure

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to principle 7 in paragraph 3.2 of his Department's publication, Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly: Statement of Funding Policy, published in October 2010, which areas of self-financed expenditure of the Scottish Parliament are included in that principle.

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 2.25 of his Department's publication, Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly: Statement of Funding Policy, published in October 2010, when he expects the statement of funding policy to be next updated.

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to principle 7 in paragraph 3.2 of his Department's publication, Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly: Statement of Funding Policy, published in October 2010, whether he plans to include that principle in an updated statement of funding policy.

Greg Hands: Principle 3.2.7, as set out in the 2010 edition of the Statement of Funding Policy, encompassed business rates income and council tax revenues collected by Scottish local authorities.The Statement of Funding Policy is reviewed and updated periodically. The devolved administrations have been informed that the Treasury expects to publish a revised version on 25th November to coincide with the Spending Review announcement.

Royal Family: Travel

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the schedule of comparable programme objects in his Department's publication, Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly: Statement of Funding Policy, published in October 2010, what the total cost was of royal travel between May 2010 and May 2015.

Greg Hands: Information relating to the total cost of Royal travel is readily available in the annual financial reports. They include a full breakdown of costs for Royal Travel for each of the years in question.http://www.royal.gov.uk/TheRoyalHousehold/Royalfinances/AnnualFinancialReports/Annualfinancialreports.aspxThe Statement of Funding Policy no longer contains information on Royal Travel costs.

Public Expenditure

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the schedule of comparable programme objects in his Department's publication, Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly: Statement of Funding Policy, published in October 2010, what projects were funded by the PFI Special Grant; and what the total capital cost was of each of those projects.

Greg Hands: The information requested is not held centrally by HM Treasury and the cost of providing it would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold.

Public Expenditure

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to expenditure on (a) HMRC: Administration, (b) HMRC: Tax and rate collection, (c) HMRC: Valuation Office, and (d) HMRC: Treasury in the schedule of comparable programme objects in his Department's publication, Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly: Statement of Funding Policy, published in October 2010, (i) how much of that expenditure in which locations was on (A) property and (B) personnel and (ii) how many people in which locations were employed through such expenditure between 2010 and 2015.

Greg Hands: The information requested can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

EU Budget

Philip Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the work required to collect the revenue paid into the EU budget in each year since 1985.

Philip Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the work required to collect the revenue paid into the EU budget each year.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not calculate separately the cost of collecting revenues paid over to the EU each year. Revenues paid over to the EU are funded through paying over a proportion of the customs duties and general taxation that are collected by HMRC.

UK Membership of EU

Emma Reynolds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on foreign direct investment of the UK leaving the EU.

Mr David Gauke: As the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne) has noted, the best outcome for the UK economy is that we achieve major economic reform of the EU. The Prime Minister is focused on success: he believes he can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU, and campaigning to keep the UK in the EU on that basis.The Confederation of British Industry and British Chambers of Commerce have both come out to say they support the reform agenda the Prime Minister is seeking to deliver.

Business: Tax Allowances

Andrew Rosindell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to provide tax incentives for businesses seeking to enter the automotive and motor racing industries.

Mr David Gauke: The Government provides generous tax incentives to help new and innovative businesses in the UK, including the automotive and motor racing industries. The rate of corporation tax is currently 20% and will be 18% in 2020, the lowest of any economy in the G20.The Government supports research and development (R&D) in the automotive and motor racing industries through R&D tax reliefs. At Summer Budget 2015, the Government also announced that it would increase the permanent level of Annual Investment Allowance to £200,000 which will further support investment in plant and machinery.The Government has also committed £86 million through the Advanced Propulsion Centre to secure Britain’s strength in the research, development and commercialisation of low carbon vehicle technologies.

Financial Conduct Authority

Andrew Rosindell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Financial Conduct Authority acts to prevent companies from fraudulently using capital raised from selling ring-fenced bonds to bail out poorly-performing parent companies.

Harriett Baldwin: The Government has legislated to ensure that the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), are fully empowered to maintain the integrity of the ring-fence, and to take action in preventing this type of misconduct.The ring fencing regime includes requirements that directors of the ring-fenced body (RFB) be able to take decisions independently of group entities; that transactions with group entities be on arm’s length terms; and that arrangements with other group entities should be managed as with third parties.The PRA and the Bank of England have powers to take action if such a transaction were to have a potential impact on the prudential resilience or resolvability of the RFB. The FCA can also take enforcement action for breaches of its rules or for these types of market abuse, which includes the imposition of substantial financial penalties.

Debts

Owen Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the level of problem debt in the UK.

Harriett Baldwin: The Office for National Statistics does not publish data on problem debt in the UK. According to the latest figures published by the Office for National Statistics, unsecured debt as a proportion of income currently stands at 37 per cent in Q2 2015, down from its pre-crisis peak of 46 per cent in Q1 2007.

Economic Situation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the most recent Global Financial Stability Report from the IMF.

Harriett Baldwin: The IMF’s report concludes that risks to global financial stability from emerging markets remain elevated, amid falling risk appetite and increasing market liquidity risks.The UK Government is alive to any implications of these risks for UK financial stability. The Government established the Financial Policy Committee (FPC) to identify and manage these types of risk to the UK financial system.The Bank of England’s forthcoming 2015 stress test of the UK banking system will assess its resilience to a deterioration in global economic conditions, particularly in emerging markets.Furthermore, the UK’s financial regulatory bodies are continuing to work at an international level on risks relating to global financial market liquidity.

Lloyds Bank

Andrew Rosindell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the reasons are for the timing of his Department's sale of the remaining £2 billion of Lloyds' shares.

Harriett Baldwin: The Chancellor of the Exchequer stated his intention to return Lloyds Banking Group to the private sector over the coming year in his Mansion House speech of June 2015. The proposal to launch a retail sale in Spring 2016 is consistent with this commitment.The Government is determined to build a share-owning democracy and to continue to reduce the national debt by making Lloyds shares available to the public. Final decisions around the timing of a sale are dependent on market conditions, among other factors.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Energy: Meters

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing net metering; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom: Holding answer received on 20 October 2015



We have not made a specific assessment of the impact which introducing net metering could have on the UK energy system. However, we are currently consulting on the future of the feed-in tariff and will consider all stakeholder views, including any representations on net metering, as part of the government response. The consultation closes on 23rd October 2015.

Cabinet Office

House of Lords Appointments Commission

Alan Brown: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much under each cost heading was spent on the House of Lords Appointments Commission between 2010 and 2015; and how many times that Commission met during that period.

Matthew Hancock: Expenditure figures for the House of Lords Appointment Commission are published in its annual reports which are available on its website athttp://lordsappointments.independent.gov.uk. Details about the Commission’s meetings are also available on its website.

Electoral Register: Finance

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2015 to Question 10532, when he plans for the further 57 local authorities referred to in that Answer to find out about funding for the transition to individual electoral registration.

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2015 to Question 10532, how many local authorities have applied for funding from his Department for the transition to individual electoral registration.

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2015 to Question 10532, on electoral register: finance, with which local authorities his Department is agreeing funding.

John Penrose: In total, 116 local authorities are receiving additional funding to help target their remaining carry forward entries. They have all now been informed. Almost £700k was allocated to 60 authorities where carry forwards made up over 5% of their register in May. Furthermore, 70 local authorities successfully submitted bids for additional funding and will share £500,000. Of the 70, 14 authorities that are receiving direct funding successfully bid for more. In addition to the 70 successful bids, 2 further bids were received but were later withdrawn by both authorities.The table sets out all 116 authorities who are receiving additional funding directly and those who submitted a successful bid along with the total amount they are receiving.



Table for Member - local authority list
(Word Document, 164 KB)

Electoral Register: Students

Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to increase voter registration among students.

John Penrose: The move to Individual Electoral Registration has made registration more convenient for students, who can now register online in as little as three minutes on a tablet, smart-phone or PC. Ahead of the elections on 7 May, £530,000 was allocated to organisations that work to encourage student electoral registration, including £380,000 to the National Union of Students. In 2013, the Cabinet Office established the Student Forum, bringing together key organisations representing students and universities, as well as Electoral Registration Officers with significant student populations to foster closer working relationships. We have also worked with Sheffield University and the local Electoral Registration Officer to pilot digital integration of student enrolment with electoral registration and I am keen that we learn from this work.I am engaged in detailed discussions with a range of Electoral Registration Officers on how to increase registration rates for hard-to-reach groups, including students, and look forward to announcing further details on this soon.

Charities

Maggie Throup: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress his Department is making on tackling rogue fundraising activities by charities.

Mr Rob Wilson: It is essential we put a stop to the immoral behaviour we have seen from some charities over the summer and rebuild people’s faith in giving to charity.There will be a new, tougher fundraising regulator which will own and develop the fundraising code of conduct, have the power to stop fundraising campaigns if they are in breach of the rules, name and shame those who do not comply and refer cases to the Charity Commission. It will also establish a Fundraising Preference Service to enable people to reset their consent to receive charity fundraising requests.We are also seeking reserve powers to mandate charities to register with the new fundraising regulator should this prove necessary.

Electoral Register

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress he has made on increasing the level of electoral registration.

John Penrose: Since June 2014, over 11 million people have applied to register to vote, three quarters using the new, ultra-convenient online system which takes less time than boiling an egg. At the General Election there were 400,000 more entries on the register than before, and thanks to Individual Electoral Registration (IER), 96 out of every 100 entries have been confirmed as genuine.We’re now focusing on the remaining 4 out of 100. By December, Electoral Registration Officers will have attempted to contact each of them nine times over 18 months. Any genuine voters will be confirmed on the register, and the remaining inaccurate entries, of people who have moved away, dies or were registered fraudulently, will be removed.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Craig Mackinlay: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment has the Minister made of the progress of the National Citizenship Service.

Mr Rob Wilson: By the end of this year, we expect that over 200,000 young people will have benefited from NCS. Independent evaluations are showing that NCS is helping it deliver more confident, capable and engaged young people. That is why government has pledged to guarantee a place for every young person who wants one.

Charities

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what his policy is on preventing charities from putting undue pressure on vulnerable donors.

Mr Rob Wilson: It is essential we put a stop to the immoral behaviour we have seen from some charities over the summer and rebuild people’s faith in giving to charity.There will be a new, tougher fundraising regulator which will own and develop the fundraising code of conduct, have the power to stop fundraising campaigns if they are in breach of the rules, name and shame those who do not comply and refer cases to the Charity Commission. It will also establish a Fundraising Preference Service to enable people to reset their consent to receive charity fundraising requests.We are also seeking reserve powers to mandate charities to register with the new fundraising regulator should this prove necessary.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of the progress of the National Citizenship Service.

Mr Rob Wilson: By the end of this year, we expect that over 200,000 young people will have benefited from NCS. Independent evaluations are showing that NCS is helping it deliver more confident, capable and engaged young people. That is why government has pledged to guarantee a place for every young person who wants one.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Mr Robin Walker: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment has the Minister made of the progress of the National Citizenship Service.

Mr Rob Wilson: By the end of this year, we expect that over 200,000 young people will have benefited from NCS. Independent evaluations are showing that NCS is helping it deliver more confident, capable and engaged young people. That is why government has pledged to guarantee a place for every young person who wants one.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Livestock: Antibiotics

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to limit the use of antibiotics on farms to sick animals.

George Eustice: There are no plans to significantly revise the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013 until the conclusion of the current review of the EU legislative framework on veterinary medicines and medicated feedingstuffs.The Government has reissued guidance on the responsible use of animal medicines on the farm to emphasise that we do not support the routine preventative use of antibiotics, or the use of antibiotics to compensate for poor animal husbandry.Under the current UK legislation, all antibiotic veterinary medicines are only available through a prescription from a veterinary surgeon, who in turn can only prescribe to animals under their care following a clinical diagnosis. Using antibiotics responsibly is a requirement of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Code of Professional Conduct for Vets.

Dogs: Animal Welfare

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many prosecutions there have been for abandoning or neglecting dogs in each of the last five years.

George Eustice: We do not hold information about species specific prosecutions. However, the table below provides numbers of prosecutions made under the Animal Welfare Act for each of the last five years.Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts under sections 4 and 9 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, England and Wales, 2010-2014(1)(2)OffenceSection20102011201220132014Causing, permitting or failing to prevent unnecessary sufferingSS.4 & 32(1)1,0771,2771,3851,2661,016Failing to ensure needs of animal are met as required by good practiceSS.9 & 32(2)266362481485391(1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.(2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.[Ref: PQc 12028 4083]

Giant Hogweed

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the prevalence of giant hogweed.

George Eustice: Giant hogweed has been present in the UK for over a century and is widespread. Biocontrol methods have been considered in the past but suitable candidates from the plant’s native range have not been found.Giant hogweed is, however, listed on schedule 9 and subject to section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which makes it an offence to plant, or cause this species to grow, in the wild. In addition, Local Authorities and the Police now have powers to issue Community Protection Notices under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, requiring landowners to take action to control species like giant hogweed where they are having a detrimental effect on local people’s quality of life.

Cane Sugar: Import Duties

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has been made in negotiations with the EU on addressing the level of duties imposed on cane sugar imported into Europe; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: During negotiations of the reforms the UK Government argued for a fair and balanced outcome for all parts of the sugar industry. Disappointingly, there was insufficient support from other Member States to secure the necessary changes on imports to allow the cane sector to compete on a level playing field with the beet sector. However, we remain committed to working with the European Commission to address this issue through forthcoming EU trade agreements and other measures as required.As part of this strategy, Defra Ministers pressed the EU Agriculture Commissioner to prioritise sugar imports as part of the recent EU negotiations with South Africa. Those negotiations have now completed and include enhanced market access for sugar imports which we expect to be available when the trade deal is signed and ratified next year. The UK also supports duty free and quota free (DFQF) imports of sugar from Least Developed Countries (LDC) through the EU’s Everything But Arms scheme and from African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries which have signed Economic Partnership Agreements. Continued access to DFQF sugar from Fiji was secured last year through application of their trade deal with the EU. The UK will continue to support ACP and LDC countries to maintain their preferences into the EU market until the sector is fully liberalised.

Department of Health

Home Care Services: Living Wage

Dr James Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect on the future of the private sector home care industry of the implementation of the national living wage.

Alistair Burt: The Department has engaged with the social care sector, including care providers, to understand how the introduction of the National Living Wage will affect them. The overall costs of providing social care will be considered as part of the Spending Review later this year.

Breast Cancer: Eddisbury

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in Eddisbury constituency have been diagnosed with secondary breast cancer in the last three years.

Jane Ellison: Data on the number of people diagnosed with secondary breast cancer is not currently available. Public Health England (PHE) is responsible for collecting cancer data to support national cancer registration in England and recognises the importance of collecting data on recurrent breast cancer. At present pilot work in acute trusts has improved the reporting for breast cancer recurrence and metastasis totheNational CancerRegistration Service but the data is not complete. Further work is being scoped by NHS England and PHE based on the recommendation in the recent Independent Cancer Taskforce report to establish robust surveillance systems to collect this data on all cancers.

Abortion: Gender Selection

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if Ministers or officials of his Department will meet Jeena International, Karma Nirvana and other organisations representing women who have been the victim of coerced sex-selective abortion to discuss the implications of his Department's assessment of the evidence of termination of pregnancy on grounds of gender.

Jane Ellison: Officials are happy to meet with these organisations and have already offered to meet Jeena International.

Health Services and Social Services: Older People

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the likely annual cost of health and social care provision for people aged over 65 during the present Parliament.

Alistair Burt: Based upon latest available data (2012/13) the proportion of National Health Service spend on people over 65 was approximately 42.6%. If this same proportion is applied to the 2015/16 budget of £115.4 billion, this would indicate a total spend of around £49.1 billion.In 2015/16 the overall spend on adult social care was £14.1 billion. Of this total figure, £4.9 billion would be spent specifically on people aged over 65. The remainder of the adult social care budget, although not specifically spent on people over 65, includes significant expenditure on services which benefit them – for example support for carers and mitigation of social isolation.In addition, the Government has implemented the £5.3 billion Better Care Fund, which provides much needed investment in better integrated care through locally developed plans and putting resources where the local NHS and social services identify requirements. Much of this spend relates to people aged over 65. However, a more detailed breakdown is not available.Funding decisions for 2016/17 onwards, including spending on health and social care, are subject to the forthcoming Spending Review. This will establish the Government’s spending plans for the next five years.

Abortion: Gender Selection

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when his Department next plans to publish an assessment of the incidence of sex-selective abortion in the UK.

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of how widespread sex-selective abortion would have to be before it was detectable in nationally-compiled birth ratios.

Jane Ellison: The Department is committed to publishing an analysis of birth ratios annually; the latest report was published in August 2015.Assessments were carried out to inform this analysis and Annex C of the latest publication ‘Assessment of termination of pregnancy on grounds of the sex of the foetus’ summarises the findings with further technical detail in Annex B of the publication; a copy is attached.



Sex-selective termination of pregnancy assessment 
(PDF Document, 562.54 KB)

Hospices

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has for future levels of provision of NHS-funded hospice care.

Ben Gummer: Levels of provision of NHS funded hospice care are determined locally by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). CCGs are responsible for ensuring that the services they commission meet the needs of their local population.

Palliative Care

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what strategy his Department has for ensuring that as many people as possible who wish to die at home are able to do so.

Ben Gummer: The Department commissioned a Review of Choice in End of life Care in 2014 which considered the choices most important to people approaching the end of life, including on where to receive care and die. The Review published its report earlier this year setting out a vision for enabling greater choice. The Department is working with NHS England on how best to achieve this vision and will be setting out its response to the Review later this year.

Palliative Care

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the level of unmet demand for palliative care beds for patients in the last six months of their lives.

Ben Gummer: The Department has not undertaken an assessment of unmet demand for palliative care beds for patients in the last six months of their lives.

Abortion: Foetal Tissue

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether doctors performing surgical abortions are prohibited from altering the procedure (a) in order to maximise the amount or quality of fetal tissue obtained for research and (b) for other non-clinical reasons.

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what procedures are in place to ensure that women agreeing to donate foetal tissue are not coerced, pressured or hurried into doing so and that they understand fully what it is that they are being asked to do.

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether foetal tissue derived from abortions is used in medical research in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: In England and Wales, medical research using fetal tissue requires the consent of the woman who donates the tissue and is subject to the requirements of the Human Tissue Act 2004. It should be conducted in accordance with the Codes of Practice published by the Human Tissue Authority,which contain specific guidance on consent to the use of fetal tissue in Code of Practice 1, Consent.

NHS: Labour Turnover

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve staff retention in NHS England.

George Freeman: NHS England ran a restructuring programme in 2014/15. Since then, the organisation turnover rate has declined and for the last three months has been on average 3.75%.Retention issues tend to arise in particular roles or professions, for example finance, or in specific locations. NHS England has mechanisms to address the specific issues. Furthermore, NHS England conducts exit interviews with staff who leave to help understand issues which affect retention and ensure they can be addressed.In order to ensure NHS England can attract and retain high quality staff, and plan and manage natural succession, it has introduced a formal talent management process to ensure that line managers are discussing current performance, future potential, personal development plans and career aspirations with staff. This process has covered over 1,000 staff in senior and business critical roles. The organisation and senior leadership now have a much better understanding of people’s aspirations, development needs and career intentions.The organisation has also introduced a staff recognition scheme, and other programmes of work to improve health and well-being, capability development, staff engagement and diversity with the aim of making NHS England an employer of choice for talented people.

Medical Treatments: Finance

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many Individual Funding Requests have been granted in each of the last 10 years.

George Freeman: Prior to 1 April 2013, individual funding requests (IFRs) were the responsibility of local primary care trusts and information was not collected centrally.NHS England holds information relating to IFRs made in relation to the prescribed services it has commissioning responsibility for. This data is available from April 2013 when the organisation was formally established. NHS England does not hold information relating to IFRs submitted to clinical commissioning groups.From April 2013 to September 2015, NHS England approved 978 IFRs. All IFR requests are considered in-line with NHS England associated policies which can be found on its website and accessed via the following link:www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/policies/gp/

Medical Treatments: Finance

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in devolved administrations on standardising the decision-making process for individual funding requests.

George Freeman: No such discussions have taken place. The arrangements in place for handling individual funding requests in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are a matter for the relevant devolved administration.

Blood: Contamination

Kwasi Kwarteng: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made on securing funding for patients infected with contaminated blood and for their families.

Jane Ellison: The Department is considering wider reform of financial assistance and other support for those affected with HIV and/or hepatitis C by infected NHS-supplied blood or blood products. We are doing this within the context of the spending review and in a way that is sustainable for the future. We plan to consult on a way forward before the end of the year.Before the election, the Prime Minister announced an additional one-off £25 million to ease transition to a reformed system of payments for affected individuals. The Department is currently considering how that money will be used.

NHS: Job Satisfaction

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of staff morale in NHS England.

George Freeman: NHS England has regularly surveyed staff opinion and experience since it was established in 2013. The most recent staff survey was conducted in July 2015 and was open to all employees of the organisation. 66% of all employees responded to the survey and the overall morale and engagement score was 63% positive.Informed by feedback from the staff surveys, NHS England launched a programme of work to enhance staff engagement and diversity, build skills and capabilities and improve business processes, as the survey identified these as issues that impact upon staff morale and satisfaction levels.

Action on Smoking and Health

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what arrangements his Department has to ensure that financial grants made by his Department to Action on Smoking and Health are not used to fund activities intended to influence (a) Parliament, Government or political parties, (b) the awarding or renewal of Government contracts and grants and (c) legislative or regulatory action.

Jane Ellison: The conditions applicable to grants awarded to Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) are set out in the grant award letters.ASH’s compliance with the conditions of the grant is assessed at the grant monitoring meetings held between the Deputy Director of tobacco control and representatives from ASH as well as in the final full year grant monitoring and governance reports.

Cancer

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to ensure that the recommendations in the publication entitled Achieving world-class cancer outcomes: a strategy for England 2015-2020 by the Independent Cancer Taskforce are implemented.

Jane Ellison: NHS England is currently working with partners across the health system to determine how best to take forward the recommendations to improve cancer outcomes set out in the new five-year strategy of the Independent Cancer Taskforce.As part of putting in place a governance structure for delivery of the strategy, NHS England has appointed Cally Palmer as NHS National Cancer Director. She will lead the implementation of the strategy, as well as new cancer vanguards using outcomes-based commissioning to redesign care and patient experience.The Independent Cancer Taskforce’s report outlines that earlier diagnosis could contribute to saving a further 11,000 lives per year.Our commitment that by 2020, National Health Service patients will be given a definitive cancer diagnosis or the all clear within 28 days of being referred by a general practitioner, means that patients, particularly those with harder to diagnose cancers, will be diagnosed faster.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policy of the potential link between the HPV Vaccine and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome; and what assessment he has made of the effect of such a link on the progress of the Government's HPV vaccination programme.

Jane Ellison: The human papillomavirus (HPV) sub-committee of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which advises the Department on immunisation matters, considered the safety of HPV vaccine when it met in June 2015. The sub-committee reviewed safety information provided by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), as well as reports in the media and literature investigating temporal associations of the HPV vaccine to a range of overlapping syndromes including postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). The HPV sub-committee agreed that no available evidence supports a causative link between HPV vaccination and POTS or other overlapping syndromes. It strongly supported the continued use of the HPV vaccine to prevent infection with HPV and to protect adolescent girls from cervical and other HPV associated cancers. This position was agreed by the JCVI, which concluded it has no concerns about the safety of the HPV vaccine.As with all vaccines and medicines, the safety ofHPV vaccines will be kept under continual review.

Abortion: Gender Selection

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what structures are in place for (a) staff in primary care settings and (b) other healthcare professionals to raise concerns about sex-selective abortions if they believe these are occurring.

Jane Ellison: All healthcare organisations registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) should have procedures in place to allow staff to raise concerns. Staff can also raise concerns with the CQC. The Department has also been clear that any specific allegations about gender-selective abortions being undertaken should be reported to the police.

Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust: Care UK

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made in the arbitration dispute between the Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Trusts and Care UK, over which institution will deliver services from the King George Elective Care Centre, Redbridge, on behalf of the Barking/Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge Clinical Commissioning Groups; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that both parties receive a prompt decision by the arbitration tribunal.

Jane Ellison: We understand that Monitor is responding to a complaint made by Care UK about the procurement of elective care services at The North East London NHS Treatment Centre located at King George Hospital, Goodmayes.We are advised that the investigation is on-going. Monitor published a statement of issues on 21 August and will publish its findings in due course.

Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2015 to Question 8139, what (a) correspondence and (b) meetings Ministers and officials in his Department have had with Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust on patients being admitted to private facilities outside Lancashire in 2014.

Ben Gummer: There has been no such correspondence or meetings. These are operational matters for the Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust.

Breast Cancer

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 15 September 2015 to Question 9845, what steps have been taken with Breast Cancer Now since the roundtable event.

George Freeman: Since the Roundtable Event, the Department has engaged with a number of key stakeholders to progress various outputs. I met Breast Cancer Now and the hon. Member for Torfaen (Nick Thomas-Symonds) who is sponsoring the Off Patent Drugs Bill recently where we discussed their views. The Government’s position on the Bill will be shared in full at its second reading on 6 November 2015.

Mental Health Services

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to address the reported shortfall of £107 million in the Department's 2015 budget and the consequent imbalance in funding for mental health services.

Alistair Burt: With the financial controls package and help from system leads, we are working towards delivering a balanced position against the overall spending controls in this financial year, despite an unprecedented level of deficit in the National Health Service provider sector.The NHS must now put in place cost-control measures we have introduced, like clamping down on agency spend, limiting the use of management consultants and making sure trusts have to justify the pay package of any manager who is paid more than the Prime Minister, while we continue to work with hospitals on ways to improve productivity and reduce waste.This year, we are investing £173 million of additional money in mental health, including £30 million for services for young people with eating disorders. We are taking a targeted and phased approach to the additional investment, to enable local areas to develop additional capacity and a collaborative approach across health, education and children’s services. This is what is needed to make a real difference.We remain committed to providing the additional £1.25 billion investment in mental health services over the next five years, as announced in the Budget 2015.

Lyme Disease: Screening

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve tests for Lyme disease to ensure early diagnosis.

Jane Ellison: Public Health England regularly review new tests for Lyme disease and participate in a Europe wide Quality Assurance programme to ensure that the most suitable tests available are used.

Older People: Mental Health

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of chronic loneliness among older people on demand for GP appointments in (a) England and (b) Basildon and Billericay constituency.

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of steps taken by local authorities to tackle loneliness; and what support the Government has provided to local authorities for such work.

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of steps taken by NHS bodies to tackle loneliness.

Alistair Burt: The Department has not carried out an assessment of the impact of loneliness in England or in Basildon and Billericay. The Campaign to End Loneliness report Loneliness: the State We’re In (2012) demonstrated that loneliness has a very negative impact on health. Research identified by the Campaign to End Loneliness has shown it has an effect on mortality that is similar in size to smoking 15 cigarettes a day, and is worse for us than obesity. Loneliness and social isolation is also associated with conditions such as cardiovascular disease, dementia, poor sleep and depression.The Government has not made an assessment of the steps the National Health Service and local authorities have taken to tackle loneliness. Given the complexity of loneliness and the different ways that people are affected there is no single solution that can tackle loneliness and having a range of interventions and solutions is helpful. The Department has funded the Social Care Institute for Excellence to develop and run the Prevention Library which includes examples of emerging practice to prevent, reduce or delay peoples care and support needs from deteriorating. This includes examples of what NHS bodies and local authorities have done to tackle loneliness such as the NHS Kernow Clinical Commissioning Group Living Well programme and LinkAge supported by Bristol City Council.Prevention is core to the Government’s approach to people managing their health and care needs. My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health set out in his speech to the Local Government Association on 1 July that we all have a responsibility at an individual, family, and community level to identify people with care needs such as loneliness and provide support and improve their wellbeing.Through the Care Act 2014 the Government has placed a duty on local authorities to have measures in place to identify people in their area who would benefit from universal services to help reduce, delay or prevent needs for care and support. This includes needs that may arise from loneliness and social isolation.The Department has supported a ‘digital toolkit’ for local commissioners, which was developed by the Campaign to End Loneliness, and is now incorporated in their guidance Loneliness and Isolation: Guidance for Local Authorities and Commissioners. This supports commissioners in understanding, mapping and commissioning for loneliness and social isolation in their communities, and includes promising approaches to tackling loneliness.We are building a better understanding of how prevention can maintain people’s wellbeing and the evidence base on the effectiveness of interventions is expanding. Through the Prevention Library local authorities can learn from emerging practice, and exchange ideas and experience of the impact of information, advice and befriending services.

Medical Equipment

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect on the provision of medical supplies to NHS facilities in (a) Northamptonshire, (b) the East Midlands and (c) England of the introduction of the new IT system at NHS Supply Chain's Regional Distribution Centre in Rugby.

George Freeman: NHS Supply Chain services are delivered by a logistics partner DHL, under the management of NHS Business Services Authority. DHL has been upgrading the main logistics IT system across its warehousing network and on 5 October 2015 commenced the upgrade at its warehouse in Rugby. Various technical issues have been encountered and, as a result, DHL has had to implement contingency measures.Whilst there has been an administrative impact on some National Health Service trusts, we are not aware of any impact on ‘front line services’ in Northamptonshire and the East Midlands – the area served by the Rugby warehouse. DHL has been able to meet requirements from its remaining network and it expects all current issues to be resolved by 23 October 2015. When the issues have been resolved the NHS Business Services Authority will then address any ‘due compensation’ to NHS trusts affected.

Prisoners: Diabetes

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to manage the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes in the prison population; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes within the prison population; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer: The most recent assessment of Type 2 diabetes (non-insulin dependent) prevalence within prisons in England was published by Public Health England (PHE) in July 2014. This information is shown in the following table:Type 2 diabetes (non-insulin dependent) prevalence within prisons in England, July 2014: percentage of male and female prisoners, age 16 years and over with confirmed type 2 diabetesAge range (years)16-2425-3435-4445-6465+Male00.10.31.94.2Female00.10.20.7 (45-54) 2.1 (55-64)4.2Source: Public Health England - Health and Justice Health Needs AssessmentTemplate: Adult Prisons, July 2014; prevalence of physical health problemsThe Department estimates that up to 80% of Type 2 diabetes cases are largely preventable through behaviour interventions, including healthy dieting and increased physical activity. With NHS England and PHE, the Department is committed to ensuring that prisoners with Type 2 diabetes or at risk of developing this condition receive an equivalent level of health care to people in the community with this condition.Patients over 12 years old with existing diabetes, including prisoners, should receive all National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended diabetes monitoring. These include blood pressure, cholesterol, body mass index and foot care surveillance. There is good evidence that achieving NICE recommended diabetes treatment targets reduces complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness, amputation and premature death.